French publishing giant Ubisoft has reported a 14 per cent increase in revenue for the six months ending September 30th.
In its financials for the period, the company called out both The Crew Motorfest and Assassin's Creed Mirage as contributing to sales. Ubisoft says that the former has outperformed its predecessors in terms of consumer spending and buying the season pass, in addition to outdoing 2018's The Crew 2 in terms of acquisition and monetisation.
While the latest entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise would not launch until October 5th, after the close of the Q2 period, pre-orders for the title were registered and Ubisoft says that the franchise's back catalogue saw a boost off the back of Mirage's launch.
The company says that Mirage has performed in line with Origins and Odyssey, meaning that it hasn't hit the record-breaking heights of 2020's Valhalla. It's worth noting that that title launched right as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S consoles launched, meaning that players were likely looking for something to play on – and justify the purchase of – their new hardware. It was also still during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many were staying at home and looking for ways to occupy their time.
Ubisoft also called out Rainbow Six: Siege as having "a remarkable performance" during the Q2 period. For the first half of the financial year, the title saw net bookings rise by "close to" 50 per cent year-on-year.
“Ubisoft delivered an excellent second quarter, well above our expectations. Activity was mostly driven by the performance of our back-catalog, thanks in particular to the remarkable growth of Rainbow Six Siege, in an overall competitive environment for first-person shooter games," Ubisoft CEO and founder Yves Guillemot (pictured) said.
"I want to pay tribute to the exceptional level of commitment from our teams, who have done amazing work on this game to deliver top-quality content across platforms. The signing of new partnerships also contributed to the overall quarter performance, confirming once again that Ubisoft is one of the most sought-after partners in the industry, with highly recognized brands and assets.
"We are also pleased with the sales momentum demonstrated by our two new releases, which mark the successful return of Ubisoft’s IPs among the major games launches of the industry. The Assassin’s Creed Mirage and The Crew Motorfest teams, respectively led by Ubisoft Bordeaux and Ivory Tower, have done a wonderful job to prepare the release of these new opuses, and the response from the community and fans has been fantastic.
"October saw the finalization of a major agreement with Activision Blizzard, which will grant Ubisoft the perpetual streaming rights for Call of Duty and all other existing Activision Blizzard Console and PC titles as well as those releasing over the next 15 years. The cloud gaming market has a strong potential, and Ubisoft can play a leading role in its realization. This deal will enable us to deliver even more experiences to more players across the world than ever before, one of the cornerstones of our strategy.
"Looking ahead, the current positive momentum builds confidence for the rest of the year as well as for next fiscal year. We are excited to bring our future lineup to players, and to deliver on our strategy and continue reaching larger audiences and building an increasingly recurring business thanks to major brands and Live services.”
Disclaimer: Alex Calvin is a freelance writer and journalist who worked with Ubisoft on The Making of Assassin's Creed: 15th Anniversary
