Ubisoft leans heavily on next-gen for fiscal year projections

Ubisoft has released its first quarter results [PDF] for its first fiscal quarter ended in June, which modestly beat projections. The France-based publisher saw first quarter sales of approximately €76 million ($99.4 million U.S.), up from a projection of €70 million ($91.5 million U.S.). However, these results are nearly half of last year's sales (recorded at €131 million) in the same time period, the result of having no really strong titles hitting retail in the last few months. Top performers for the quarter include Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed 3, Just Dance 4, Rocksmith and Rayman Origins. Digital sales were up 27 percent to €34 million, driven by Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger. Ubisoft set its outlook for second quarter at €200 million and full year at €1.42-€1.45 billion. Driving factors for this projection are the release of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rayman Legends, in the second quarter, and holiday releases including Watch Dogs and The Division, the latter bound for Microsoft's and Sony's next-generation consoles.