Ubisoft's Announces It's 1st Quarter Sales Figures

Well Ubi's just released its Q1 Sales figures. So here's the whole thing :

• Estimated sales for the first quarter above target at €160 million.
• Update on the game release schedule.

Paris, 12 July 2010 – Today, Ubisoft reported its estimated sales for the first fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2010.
Sales
Estimated sales for the first quarter totaled €160 million, up 93% compared with the €83 million recorded for the first quarter 2009-10.
Estimated sales for the first-quarter of 2010-11 exceeded the guidance (of approximately €145 million) announced at the time of the 2009-10 full-year sales figures communication. This is due to:
• the solid performance of Splinter Cell Conviction™, which sold in 1.9 million units,
• a good performance by back-catalog and casual titles, spurred by the sustained sales of Just Dance®, as well as Assassin’s Creed® 2 and Avatar,
• gains of approximately €9 million due to the favorable exchange rate.
Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer, said "Our sales performance this quarter reflects the success of several titles and attests to the quality of our game catalog. It’s proof of Ubisoft’s ability to make its mark in an ever demanding video games sector.”
“This year’s E3 further confirmed the potential for our end-of-year line-up, demonstrating how varied and distinct our offering is. Proven franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Driver or Ghost Recon will offer unique experiences for seasoned gamers. In particular, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood should allow us to reaffirm our position as one of the industry’s best multiplayer developers. The preorders are the strongest ever seen, already 20% above those from the same period last year, even before the awards announced following E3. In the casual segment, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, Just Dance 2 or Michael Jackson: The Experience, which has generated particularly promising media coverage, are expected to attract a large number of casual players. Finally, thanks to the investments made, we will offer a rich line-up of both online games and new titles for the upcoming hardware launches this fiscal year."


Outlook
Second quarter 2010-11 sales targets
The second quarter will be highlighted by the releases of:
• H.A.W.X.® 2 for Xbox 360®, Playstation® 3 and PC
• R.U.S.E™ for Xbox 360®, Playstation® 3 and PC
Sales for the second quarter of 2010-11 are expected to come in at around €83 million, in-line with the second quarter of 2009-10.

Update on the games release schedule
Due to the competitive market at Christmas, Driver®, previously scheduled for release during the third quarter, will now launch during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year.
Full-year 2010-11
Ubisoft confirms its previous forecast for the full year 2010-11 of an expected return to profitable growth and positive cash flow from operating activities.
Final sales figures for the first quarter will be released when the Paris stock exchange closes on July 22. There will be no conference call following the July 22nd press release.