Ubisoft posts decline in annual sales

Ubisoft has reported its financial results for the 12-month fiscal period ending on March 31st of this year – announcing a decline in overall sales, but a rise in digital earnings.

The publisher revealed total sales of $1.38bn for the period, a year-on-year drop of almost 20 per cent. The firm also posted a net loss of just under $90m.

The delay to its anticipated Watch Dogs IP was one of the major factors in the company falling short of its original forecast – along with an 18 per cent year-on-year decline in sales of core gamer titles.

That said, Ubisoft’s digital effort made for one bright spot on the report. Downloadable games and DLC add-ons accounted for $267.4m, up 32 per cent from the company’s previous fiscal year.

"2014-15 should see a return to double-digit profitability as we reap the benefits of the investments and innovations that we have implemented over the last few years," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said.

"Combined with the fast uptake of new-generation consoles and strong growth in the online market, our ambitious games line-up should land three of our titles in the top 10 best-selling games of the year for consoles and PC, and lead us to record a sharp rise in our digital sales."