Ubisoft 24-25 half-year results plummet as Star Wars Outlaws "underperforms"

gamesindustry.biz:

Ubisoft has released its results for the six months for the first half of the financial year, claiming a "solid underlying performance of back-catalogue highlighting the strength of brand portfolio and live services" despite sales slumping down 19.6% year-on-year to €672 million.

The company states its cost reduction program is "well on track" and its review of its "player-centric and gameplay-first approach" is progressing, taking actions "aimed at tackling the dynamics behind the polarised comments around Ubisoft so as to protect the Group’s reputation and maximise our game’s sales potential."

The company says both the Assassin's Creed franchise and Rainbow Six Siege "both benefited from strong audiences, with more than 30m unique active users each."

Ubisoft also revealed its global headcount has tumbled "more than" 2000 employees, claiming its cost reduction program is "well on track."

For the six months ending September 30, 2024 (Q1):

Net bookings for the second quarter stood at €352m, and whilst back-catalogue net bookings are down year-on-year, they were up 12% for the second quarter.

Playtime and Session Days are up respectively 9% and 6% year-on-year, with MAUs standing at 37 million, up 3% year-on-year, which includes "close to 3m" new accounts per month.

Ubisoft admitted sales of Star Wars Outlaws has "underperformed expectations" despite achieving "solid reviews and user scores across First Party and Epic Stores."

In a statement, CEO Yves Guillemot said: "Despite recent setbacks, we are continuing to deeply transform Ubisoft in order to restore the level of creativity and innovation that built Ubisoft’s success while delivering stronger execution and predictability.

"To succeed, we must redouble our focus on execution and reinforce a player-centric mindset in everything we do," he added. "For example, we are improving the quality of Star Wars Outlaws, including actively addressing player feedback through title updates as we get ready for the Steam launch, the