Ubisoft Announces Fourth Quarter Sales, Plans

French-headquartered developer and publisher Ubisoft has released a number of preliminary details regarding its fourth quarter 2004 financial results, for the period ending March 31st 2005. For the quarter, the company generated sales of €221 million ($285 million), 50 percent better than the previous year. Particularly highlighted was the new Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 title, which sold 1.7 million units, and the new Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell games, which sold through 2.5 million units. Shifting the financial figures to encompass the entire fiscal year, Ubisoft generated sales of €537 million ($693 million), totaling 8% growth for the company. However, the company did not explicitly state its profit or loss for the quarter, but noted that the net income excluding exceptional items for the year was €18-22 million ($23-28 million), and that its long-term debts were now €82 million ($106 million), compared to €119 million ($154 million) on March 31st, 2004. Ubisoft went on to discuss its portfolio of "major brands", which have now sold 17 million units, accounting for 65% of all business, including 5.1 million units for the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell brand, 3 million units for the Prince of Persia brand, 2.8 million units for the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon brand, and 1.7 million units for the new Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 brand. The company also mentioned that it intended to recruit 600 new employees over the next year, expanding the production workforce to 2,900 by 31 March 2006. It also specifically noted that 7 titles will be launched over the next year on Nintendo DS, 5 on Sony’s PlayStation Portable and 4 on the new Microsoft console.