Ubisoft's fortunes rise thanks to strong Q1 sales of digital goods

French developer and publisher Ubisoft posted earnings for its first quarter of the fiscal year today that were a bit better than the company's internal projections, due in large part to sales of digital goods.

The company reportedly saw sales of €139 million (~153.14 million USD) during its fiscal quarter ended June 30, about 44 percent more than the €96.6 million (~106.23 million USD) it brought in during the same period last year.

Notably, the company reported then that 56 percent of its revenue came from sales of digital goods, rather than physical items at retail. This quarter that figure has risen to 75.3 percent, and Ubisoft says "recurring player investment" (read: DLC, subscriptions, advertising and in-game items) alone has risen 113.8 percent year-over-year to account for €47.9 million (~$52.77 million USD) -- roughly 34.4 percent of the company's total sales for the quarter.

"Our solid figures for the first quarter of 2016-17 have confirmed the excellent digital trends," stated Ubisoft chief Yves Guillemot in a press release about the company's earnings report. "Player engagement levels reached record highs during the period, fueled by the success of The Division, Rainbow Six Siege and Hungry Shark World. MAUs [monthly active users] were up 53 percent year on year, driving digital revenue to a record weighting of 75 percent of overall sales."

Actual earnings on these sales are yet unclear, as under French accounting law Ubisoft is not required to publicly report its actual profits until the end of the fiscal year. 

The company also confirmed its decision to appoint two new independent directors, former Uber strategist Frédérique Dame and Wrigley CFO Florence Naviner, to its board in the face of a looming takeover threat from French media group Vivendi.