Ubisoft Sales Surge During Dominant Holiday Quarter

Ubisoft enjoyed a surge in sales during the three-month period between October and December 2014, bringing in $924 million in revenue during the quarter, thanks to strong performances from titles such as Assassin's Creed: Unity and Far Cry 4.

That final figure represents a significant 56 percent increase in sales compared to the same period in 2013, when the company made about $593 million off the back of releases such as Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

Boosted further by the release of Watch Dogs in May 2014, Ubisoft managed to bring in about $1.5 billion in sales during the final nine months of 2014, which represents a 60 percent increase on the year prior.

Combined Assassin's Creed: Unity and Rogue sales hit 10 million units, while Far Cry 4 achieved 7 million and The Crew passed the 2 million milestone. Just Dance 4, meanwhile, brought in 4 million units sold.

Digital sales for Ubisoft are strong in particular, with download game revenue climbing 157 percent during the October-December period, rising to $157 million.

However, Ubisoft does not expect to maintain the momentum in the final January to March quarter. It projects sales of approximately $167 million, down by approximately 25 percent.

"In 2014, Ubisoft offered gamers the most diversified line-up in the industry, with titles such as Assassin's Creed Unity, Child of Light, Far Cry 4, Just Dance 2015, The Crew, Trials Fusion and Frontier, Valiant Hearts and Watch Dogs," said the publisher's chief executive Yves Guillemot.

In reference to rival publishers EA and Activision, which license games from independent studios such as Respawn (Titanfall) and Bungie (Destiny), Guillemot added: "Our performance is all the more impressive given that it is wholly the result of Ubisoft's teams. Each of these successful games was developed by our in-house studios and we own our brands, which means that our destiny is in our own hands and we are internalizing the value created for our shareholders."