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French video games publisher Focus Home Interactive has announced revenue of €24.5m for the fourth quarter of its 2018-19 financial year (January – March 2019), increasing its fourth-quarter earnings by 134 per cent – €14m – versus this time last year. It brings the company’s full-year revenue to €126m.
The company attributes its record year to several key titles, including Vampyr, Insurgency: Sandstorm, Farming Simulator 19, and its MudRunner (American Wilds) franchise. Back-catalogue sales account for 25 per cent of total sales over the fiscal year, with 90 per cent of sales now generated internationally, and 66 per cent of all sales now digital.
“This fourth quarter underlines a remarkable year for the Group as a whole, which once again demonstrated its breadth of expertise in establishing successful new brands in an ultra-competitive market and continuing generate profits from strong product licences,” Focus’ press release states.
The company also reports “a very promising 2019-20 catalogue Fiscal year 2019-20”, kicked off with the launch of Saber’s World War Z, which has attracted more than one million players less than a week after release. The highly awaited and innovative A Plague Tale: Innocence by Asobo is due for release next month, and the company recently announced it had renewed its partnership with Dontnod for a project “that promises to be the most ambitious to date for both players”.
Focus Home Interactive recently announced it had partnered with Sumo Digital for a “multiplayer experience without compromise”. Describing the unannounced game as “as dark as it is violent”, the first fruit of this collaboration” will be developed by Sumo Newcastle, the team behind EVE: Valkyrie.
“We are very pleased to partner with Sumo Digital, a world-renowned development studio. We were immediately seduced by the project of the extremely talented team in Newcastle, offering gorgeous artistic direction in a dark universe and uncompromising gameplay that always entertains,” said John Bert, COO of Focus Home Interactive. “Along with its multiplayer and community components, we trust the title will attract a very large number of players.”
