Ubisoft Announces Fiscal Half Revenue, Confirms GRAW 2

Officials from French-headquartered developer and publisher Ubisoft today revealed the company's revenue for the fiscal first half of 2006-07, which included a 13 percent rise in sales over the same period the year prior. Sales for the first half ended September 30 climbed to €172 million ($216 million) from the previous year's €153 million ($192.1 million). Second quarter sales alone amounted to €102 million ($128.1 million), a 7 percent drop from the previous year. The company also raised its financial outlook for the coming year, noting expected revenue growth of 25 percent compared to the previous forecast of over 17 percent. Looking forward, the company also confirmed the upcoming launch of the previously unannounced Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, which is scheduled to be released during Ubisoft's fourth quarter (between January and March 2007). However, no other details concerning the title were released, including the platforms for which it would be released. The original Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was released in March to critical acclaim for the Xbox 360, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, and later in May for the PC. However, Ubisoft officials noted that the release of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will “take the place” of the upcoming releases of Assassin’s Creed and Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway, which are now expected to launch during the company's fiscal year 2007-08, the period starting April 2007. Finally, the company also confirmed the development of seven additional titles for Nintendo's Wii, including one from an “non announced new brand.” This would build upon the company's already staunch support of the new console, bringing Ubisoft's Wii catalog to 14 games. “Ubisoft managed to take full advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and should now benefit from the much awaited PlayStation 3 and Wii launches, with in particular 7 titles available for the Wii”, commented Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot. “We have the second largest creation workforce in the industry, which we have built up over the past 10 years, and a powerful and wide-reaching distribution network. Ubisoft has ideally positioned itself to outperform the very strong growth of the market in the coming years.”