Ubisoft outperform targets as back-catalogue, digital, and player investment bookings all increase in Q1 24-25

gamesindustry.biz:

Ubisoft has released its results for the first three months of the financial year, stating the quarter was "marked by strong session days of growth of 15 percent across consoles and PC, mostly driven by games-as-a-service" (GaaS).

Ubisoft specifically cited XDefiant's 10m player milestone as an "encouraging start", as well as Rainbow Six Siege, which "kicked off the year with a strong performance." In all, its monthly active users (MAU) jumped by 7 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 38m.

The publisher's Q1 results were further boosted by Assassin's Creed Shadows pre-orders – which "overperformed" by also driving sales of older games in the franchise – and The Crew Motorfest's "strong momentum and solid engagement." It also saw a 24.6 per cent boost in its player recurring investment (PRI) to 158.7 million.

Here's what you need to know:

For the three months ending June 30, 2024 (Q1):

Consoles continue to be Ubisoft's biggest market share, accounting for 50 percent of its net bookings in Q1 2024-25 (unchanged from Q1 2023-24), whilst PC players have fallen from 31 percent to 27 percent.

Mobile games net bookings are flat YoY, but Ubisoft's "others" income streams, which encapsulates ancillary sales, have increased from 9 to 13 percent YoY.

Net bookings broken down by region are fairly flat year-on-year, with players in Europe, North America, and the rest of the world accounting for 32, 53, and 15 per cent, respectively.

Expansion packs slated for release in quarter two – July-September 2024 – include Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: The Sky Breaker Story Pack and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Mask of Darkness DLC.

Full releases across the same period include Monopoly 2024 and Star Wars Outlaws.

New seasons are also on the way for Riders Republic, For Honor, The Crew Motorfest, Skull and Bones, Rainbow Six Siege, and XDefiant.

Second-quarter net bookings are estimated to be around €500 million, whilst the full 2024-25 line-up includes Assassin's Creed Shadows and Star Wars Outlaws.

R