Ubisoft® Reports First-Half 2008-09 Sales
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Ubisoft® reports first-half 2008-09 sales Second-quarter sales up 37% to €175 million, outstripping targets. Marked increase expected for first-half current operating income. Targets raised for full-year 2008-09. Update on the games release schedule. Paris, October 23, 2008 – Today, Ubisoft reported its sales for the fiscal half-year ended September 30, 2008. Sales Sales for the first half of 2008-09 came to €344 million, up 31.5%, or 38.3% at constant exchange rates, compared with the €261 million recorded for the same period of 2007-08. Second-quarter sales totaled €175 million, representing an increase of 37.3% (43.6% at constant exchange rates) on the €127 million posted for the second quarter of 2007-08. This performance – which exceeded the guidance of approximately €160 million issued when Ubisoft released its sales figures for first-quarter 2008-09 – was primarily attributable to: − The successful launches of Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway™ and SoulCalibur™IV (Europe) for the Xbox360™ and PLAYSTATION®3. − Solid sales turned in by casual games including new titles such as Imagine® Teacher, My Secret World by Imagine™ and PlayZone™ Sports Party. Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Ubisoft delivered a robust performance in the second fiscal quarter against an uncertain environment. We are carefully and regularly monitoring changes in the economic context in order to factor them into our market forecasts and financial targets. Going forward, we are confident that the video game industry will be able to continue its dynamic growth in 2008 and 2009, buoyed by the increase in the installed base for consoles coupled with the steady influx of new consumers. At the same time, we believe that thanks to the diversity and quality of Ubisoft’s games line-up – which caters to both hard- core and casual gamers – we are ideally positioned to continue to win market share in the coming years. Holiday 2008 will be another demonstration of this, as we are introducing a gaming experience for everyone with the following titles: − Far Cry® 2 and Tom Clancy's End War™ for hard-core gamers. − Rayman Raving Rabbids® 3 and the PlayZone range, designed to be played by the whole family on the Wii. − Prince of Persia® for adventure-seeking gamers, and Shaun White for sport and snowboarding fans. − The Petz® and Imagine ranges, designed for girls, and Jake Power™ for boys as well as the ENER-G sport range dedicated to the US market. − The Planet Rescue™ range, which will give children the opportunity to take an interest in protecting the environment, as well as the MyCoach range which will enable adults to both learn and look after their well-being while playing." Outlook Increase expected for first-half current operating income Based on currently available information, Ubisoft expects current operating income before stock options to represent a marked increase compared with the 3.4% of sales recorded for the first half of 2007-08. This rise mainly reflects the leverage effect on structure costs related to the strong increase in sales, as well as the favorable impact of the “Games for Everyone” range which requires a low level of R&D expenditure. Sales for the third quarter of 2008-09 The third quarter of 2008-09 will be the most important and diversified quarter in Ubisoft's history, with the following main releases: − Far Cry 2 for the Xbox360™, PC and PLAYSTATION®3 − Prince of Persia for Xbox360™, PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and Nintendo DS™ − Shaun White for the Wii™, Xbox360™, PC, PLAYSTATION®3, Nintendo DS™, PSP™ and PLAYSTATION®2 − Rayman Raving Rabbids 3 for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS − Tom Clancy's EndWar for the Xbox360™, PC and PLAYSTATION®3, Nintendo DS™ and PSP™, − New casual games for the Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ for the Petz, Imagine, MyCoach, ENER-G (US), Jake Power, Planet Rescue, and PlayZone ranges. Consequently, the Group expects third-quarter 2008-09 sales to come in at around €500 million, up 11% on the same period of 2007-08. Update on the games release schedule In view of the good first-half trends and the positive outlook for the third quarter, Ubisoft has decided that Anno™ as well as the as-yet unannounced franchise which were previously scheduled to be released in 2008-09 will now bolster the line-up for 2009-10. Targets raised for full-year 2008-09 Based on solid first-half sales performance combined with a more favorable dollar impact and the positive third-quarter outlook, Ubisoft is raising its targets for full-year 2008-09. The full- year sales guidance is now around €1,050 million compared with the previous figure of around €1,020 million, and the guidance for current operating income before stock options has been revised upward to at least 13% of sales versus the previous target of at least 12%. Recent highlights Market share: In the first nine calendar months of 2008, Ubisoft was the number 4 independent publisher in the United States with 5.1% market share (compared with number 4 and 5.6% one year earlier); number 3 in Europe with 8.1% market share (compared with number 3 and 7.9%); number 2 in France with 7.5% market share (compared with number 3 and 7.5%); number 4 in the United Kingdom with 8.4% market share (compared with number 3 and 9.0%); and number 3 in Germany with 7.6% market share (compared with number 3 and 6.9%). Page 2 sur 6 Disclaimer This statement may contain estimated financial data, information on future projects and transactions and future business results/performance. Such forward-looking data are provided for estimation purposes only. They are subject to market risks and uncertainties and may vary significantly compared with the actual results that will be published. The estimated financial data have been presented to the Board of Directors and have not been audited by the Statutory Auditors. (Additional information is specified in the most recent Ubisoft Registration Document filed on July 25, 2008 with the French Financial Markets Authority (l'Autorité des marchés financiers)). 2008 financial calendar Release Date First-half 2008-09 results November 26, 2008 These dates are subject to change and will be confirmed at a later stage. About Ubisoft Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft is present in 28 and has sales in 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007-08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com. Contact Investor relations Jean-Benoît Roquette Head of Investor Relations + 33 1 48 18 52 39 [email protected] © 2008 Gearbox Software, L.L.C. All rights reserved. Published and distributed by Ubisoft Entertainment under license from Gearbox Software, L.L.C. Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway is a trademark of Gearbox Software and is used under license. Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Gearbox Software and the Gearbox logo are registered trademarks of Gearbox Software, LLC SOULCALIBUR™IV & © 1995-2008 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. © 2008 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Anno, Petz, Jack Power, Imagine, Planet Rescue, My Secret World by Imagine, PlayZone, Far Cry, Endwar, Rayman, Lapins Crétins, the character of Rayman, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Far Cry 2, Based on Crytek’s original Far Cry directed by Cevat Yerli. Prince of Persia. Based on Prince of Persia® created by Jordan Mechner. Prince of Persia ais a trademark of Jordan Mechner in the US and/or other countries used under license by Ubisoft Entertainment. Shaun White is used under license from Shaun White and Shaun White Enterprises, Inc. © 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PLAYSTATION" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PSP is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. NINTENDO DS IS A TRADEMARK OF NINTENDO. Wii™ and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. Page 3 sur 6 APPENDICES Breakdown of sales by geographic region % sales % sales % sales % sales 6 months 6 months Q2 2008/09 Q2 2007/08 2008/09 2007/08 Europe 65% 56% 61% 52% North America 29% 36% 31% 40% Rest of world 6% 8% 8% 9% TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% Breakdown of sales by platform 6 months 6 months Q2 2008/09 Q2 2007/08 2008/09 2007/08 Nintendo DS™ 39% 23% 38% 20% PC 6% 18% 10% 12% PlayStation®2 1% 9% 2% 9% PLAYSTATION®3 20% 18% 20% 21% PSP™ 2% 7% 3% 10% Wii™ 11% 8% 11% 10% XBOX 360™ 20% 14% 14% 15% TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% Breakdown of sales by business line 6 months 6 months Q2 2008/09 Q2 2007/08 2008/09 2007/08 Development 67% 80% 74% 77% Publishing 14% 16% 14% 19% Distribution 19% 3% 12% 5% TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100% Page 4 sur 6 Games Release Schedule Third quarter (October – December 2008) BATTLE OF GIANTS™ DINOSAURS Nintendo DS™ BROTHERS IN ARMS HELL’S HIGHWAY™ PC CESAR MILAN’S DOG WHISPERER (US) Nintendo DS™, PC CSI NY (US) PC CURLING (CANADA) Nintendo DS™ DRIVING TEST (Europe) Nintendo DS™ ENER-G™ DANCE SQUAD (US) Nintendo DS™ ENER-G™ * GYM ROCKETS Nintendo DS™ ENER-G™ * HORSE RIDER Nintendo DS™, Wii™, PC PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox FALLOUT 3 (Europe) 360™, PC FAMILY FEST PRESENTS: CIRCUS GAMES Wii™ PLAYSTATION®3,