2016-17: RECORD HIGH non-IFRS operating INCOME, up 40.7% IN LINE WITH TARGETS
- Total annual sales of €1,459.9 million, up 4.7% year on year, in line with the target range of between €1,455.0 million and €1,495.0 million
- €729.3 million in digital revenue, representing 50.0% of total sales (32.0% in 2015-16)
- Sharp 26.7% increase in MAUs
- 131.2% surge in Player Recurring Investment to 304.0 M€
- €649.2 million in back-catalog sales, accounting for 44.5% of total sales (25.7% in 2015-16)
- Solid performance in the fourth fiscal quarter:
- Number one publisher worldwide since the beginning of calendar 2017
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Wildlands, the industry’s best-selling3 game since the beginning of the year: the Ghost Recon community grew approximately 60%
- For Honor® – the industry’s second best-selling game3
- Non-IFRS operating income up 40.7% to a record high €237.7 million, in line with the target range of between €230.0 million and €250.0 million, and higher than the initial target of €230.0 million
- Non-IFRS operating margin reaches a record 16.3% (12.1% in 2015-16)
TARGETS FOR 2017-18: FURTHER EARNINGS GROWTH
- Sales of around €1,700.0 million
- Non-IFRS operating income of around €270.0 million
STRATEGIC PLAN TARGETS FOR 2018-19 REVISED TO FACTOR IN THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE GROUP'S NEW RECURRING MODEL. HIGHER NON-IFRS OPERATING MARGIN
- Sales of around €2,100.0 million (previous target of €2,200.0 million), with:
- 4 AAA releases for around 28 million units
- Digital revenue to represent more than 55% of total sales
- Increased games lifetime: significantly higher back catalog sales compared with previous estimates
- An increase in the operating margin target to 21.0% (20.0% previously), and non-IFRS operating income target kept at around €440.0 million.
PARIS - May 16, 2017 – Today, Ubisoft released its sales and earnings figures for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2017.
Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated: “The execution of our strategic plan fully paid off in 2016-17, with further very strong growth for the digital segment – which now accounts for 50% of total sales – and an ever-more recurring profile.”
“With 44 million unique registered players, the size of the Tom Clancy community has increased by almost 150% in less than 18 months. This impressive performance for a brand created almost 20 years ago clearly illustrates the strong popularity of Ghost Recon Wildlands, Rainbow Six Siege and The Division. Our Live titles continue to beat records for player engagement and have seen a sharp rise in player recurring investment. Our results for 2016-17 demonstrate the success of our new model, with record high operating income and outperforming the target announced a year ago, and operating margin up for the third consecutive year."
“Over the last three fiscal years, Ubisoft has – with remarkable success – created numerous new brands and rebooted Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. These successes have strengthened our visibility for the coming two fiscal years, with a line-up of releases principally comprised of established franchises. In 2017-18 we will see the exciting returns of Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, The Crew and South Park. In 2018-19 we intend to pursue our digital transformation and consolidate our new business model, which is much more recurring and more profitable and is now significantly less exposed to new releases. This revision of our assumptions gives greater visibility for meeting our targets.”
"Our dynamic trajectory is being led by the growing footprint of video games in the entertainment industry. Ubisoft is playing a leading role in this respect thanks to the creativity of our teams, the power of our owned brands, the digital transformation that has generated direct relationships with our communities, and our numerous growth drivers, particularly in terms of geographic markets. Beyond 2018-19 we will continue to catch up with our competitors in terms of player recurring investment, which represents huge value creation potential for our shareholders."