Latest news with #YvesGuillemot
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ubisoft reports Q4 net bookings EUR 902.3M vs. EUR 872.7M last year
Reports Q4 IFRS 15 sales EUR 909.2M vs. EUR 858.4M last year. Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and CEO, said, ' This year has been a challenging one for Ubisoft (UBSFY), with mixed dynamics across our portfolio, amid intense industry competition. Despite these headwinds, Ubisoft managed to deliver positive free cash flow generation over the fiscal year, reflecting the discipline applied across the Group. Quickly and easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks straight to you inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See Insiders' Hot Stocks on TipRanks >> Read More on UBSFY: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Ubisoft price target lowered to EUR 12 from EUR 13 at Deutsche Bank Game On: Nintendo expects to sell 15M Switch 2 units in FY26 Will Mafia: The Old Country Help Soften Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto VI Delay? Game On: 'GTA VI' delayed to May 2026 Game On: U.S. video game spending falls 6% in March, says Circana Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Asharq Al-Awsat
15-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
France's Ubisoft Full-Year Net Bookings Fall 20.5%
France's largest video game maker Ubisoft on Wednesday posted a 20.5% fall in full-year net bookings as the company has faced issues with delayed releases and the underperformance of some of its leading titles. The maker of the blockbuster franchise "Assassin's Creed" reported net bookings of 1.85 billion euros ($2.07 billion) for the year to March 31, slightly below its guidance of around 1.9 billion euros. Ubisoft plans to announce a new overall group organization by the end of the year, with the objective to best serve player needs, deliver superior game quality and drive disciplined capital allocation, it said in a statement. It expects full-year 2025-2026 stable net bookings year-on-year and roughly break-even non-IFRS operating income. Net bookings for the first quarter are forecast at 310 million euros. Ubisoft also expects to return to positive non-IFRS operating income and free cash flow generation in 2026-2027, it said. "After a review of our pipeline, we have decided to provide additional development time to some of our biggest productions to create the best conditions for success," CEO Yves Guillemot said in the statement. As a result, he said, the next two years would see "significant content coming from our largest brands." In March, the company faced a make-or-break moment with the launch of the newest instalment in "Assassin's Creed" franchise as the company grappled with falling revenue, a sinking stock price and takeover speculation. "Aware of the challenges ahead, we took decisive steps to continue strengthening the company's future. The launch of 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' was a defining moment," Guillemot said. The release had reaffirmed the power of the brand, he added, and had received a "highly favorable community response". Ubisoft said that the game delivered the second-highest Day 1 sales revenue in franchise history and set a new record for Ubisoft's Day 1 performance on the PlayStation digital store.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ubisoft shares plummet 20% on sharp net bookings drop, disappointing outlook
-- Ubisoft Entertainment (EPA:UBIP) reported lower-than-expected earnings for fiscal year 2024-25 as net bookings declined 20.5% year-over-year, reflecting weaker partnerships and intense industry competition, and issued a disappointing outlook for the fiscal 2025-2026. The video game publisher posted an adjusted loss per share of €0.56, wider than analysts' estimates of a €0.47 loss. The company's shares plummeted more than 20% in Paris trading Thursday. Net bookings for the full year came in at €1.85 billion, slightly below the company's target and down from €2.32 billion in the previous year. Sales fell 17.5% to €1.90 billion, though marginally beating expectations of €1.89 billion. Ubisoft reported an operating loss of €82.6 million compared to a profit of €313.6 million a year earlier. Despite the challenging year, CEO Yves Guillemot highlighted some positives, stating: "Assassin's Creed Shadows reaffirmed the power of the Assassin's Creed brand, with a highly favorable community response from long-time fans and new players alike." The company generated positive free cash flow of €128 million, ahead of its target. However, Ubisoft expects approximately breakeven non-IFRS operating income and negative free cash flow in fiscal 2025-26 as it continues its transformation efforts. Ubisoft issued a weak outlook for 2025-2026, citing additional game delays. The company expects flat net bookings year-on-year, break-even adjusted EBIT, and over €100 million in negative free cash flow—all significantly below consensus estimates. Q1 guidance was also soft, with projected net bookings of €310 million, 13% below expectations, despite strong interest in Assassin's Creed Shadows. "It's clear that Tencent's €1.16bn cash injection into the group (to acquire a 25% stake in the new subsidiary) has eased pressure on the balance sheet, perhaps making the decision to delay games easier," Deutsche Bank analyst George Brown commented. "However, it is clear that further efforts need to be made to reduce poor profitability, notably with regards to headcount," he added. Brown highlights that Ubisoft employs around 18,000 people—two to three times more than U.S. peers—despite generating significantly lower revenue. "In the meantime, investors have little to be excited for with regards to the pipeline in FY-26 with no major games announced," he said. Luke Juricic contributed to this report. Related articles Ubisoft shares plummet 20% on sharp net bookings drop, disappointing outlook Foot Locker shares surge as Dick's mulls $24-a-share buyout SoFi targets 30% member growth, CEO talks guidance Sign in to access your portfolio
eNCA
15-05-2025
- Business
- eNCA
'Assassin's Creed' no saviour for struggling Ubisoft
PARIS - A bumper release for the latest "Assassin's Creed" instalment did not save French video games giant Ubisoft from falling back into the red in its 2024-25 financial year. The company had won through to profitability in 2023-24 after a near half-billion-euro loss in the previous period. But a string of disappointing releases undermined this year's performance, with a net loss of 159 million euros ($178-million) on revenues of 1.9 billion -- down 17.5 percent year-on-year. Over the past 12 months, Ubisoft's would-be blockbuster "Star Wars Outlaws" fell short of sales expectations on release, while it cancelled multiplayer first-person shooter "XDefiant" for lack of players. "This year has been a challenging one for Ubisoft, with mixed dynamics across our portfolio, amid intense industry competition," chief executive Yves Guillemot said in a statement. Ubisoft's preferred performance indicator, so-called "net bookings" -- which excludes some deferred revenues -- also fell by more than 20 percent year-on-year, to 1.8 billion euros. The group expects the measure to hold steady in the coming 2025-26 financial year, during which it will release a new "Prince of Persia" game, strategy title "Anno 117: Pax Romana" and mobile versions of shooters "Rainbow Six" and "The Division". Disappointing shipments have been matched by a tumbling stock price. But in recent weeks the publisher's biggest money-spinner has been as dependable as ever, with "Assassin's Creed Shadows" winning over more than three million players with its story of medieval Japanese intrigue since its March 20 release. "Shadows" swiftly rose to become the second-best-selling game of the year so far in the United States, according to data from consultancy Circana.
Mint
15-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Ubisoft Forecasts Flat Sales, Extends Work on Top Game Titles
(Bloomberg) -- Ubisoft Entertainment SA, the video-game maker behind the popular Assassin's Creed title, forecast flat sales for the new fiscal year and said some of its biggest productions will get more development time. Bookings, a measure of sales, fell 20% to €1.85 billion ($2.07 billion) in just-ended fiscal 2025, the company said Wednesday, missing Wall Street estimates of €1.89 billion. Bookings in the fourth quarter declined 3.4%. The forecast and additional development work are the latest setbacks for the French company, whose shares have tumbled from a high of €88.16 more than four years ago to their current €11.68. The company announced its latest results after markets closed in Paris. Management led by Chief Executive Officer Yves Guillemot is taking steps to right the company. In March, it announced Tencent Holdings Ltd. would invest €1.16 billion in a new subsidiary that will be home to key titles like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. The deal amounted to a vote of confidence from Tencent, which already holds a 10% stake in Ubisoft, in the wake of a difficult few years since a pandemic-era boom in play ran out of gas. The new unit's €4 billion valuation is higher than the group's current enterprise value. 'This year has been a challenging one for Ubisoft, with mixed dynamics across our portfolio, amid intense industry competition,' Guillemot said in a statement. 'We are currently working on reshaping the group's operating model and plan to announce a new organization by the end of the year.' In a call with reporters earlier in the day, Chief Financial Officer Frederick Duguet indicated that operationally Ubisoft would remain 'one unique company,' with employees free to work on brands owned by both the subsidiary and its parent. The decision to extend production work means fresh revenue from Ubisoft's biggest franchises will be pushed back into the next two fiscal years. Ubisoft also said its €200 million cost-cutting goal for the year has been completed ahead of schedule and that it will pursue an additional €100m in savings over the next two years. The company finished the year with 17,782 employees, down by 1,230 from a year earlier. More stories like this are available on
