French publishing giant Ubisoft saw its net bookings dip by 21.9 per cent for the first half of this financial year.
The company brought in €642.3 million ($697.3 million) for the period, €352 million ($382 million) of which came from the second quarter. Monthly active users hit 37 million for the first half of the year, a three per cent increase, while three million people signed up for Ubisoft accounts each month.
The Assassin’s Creed franchise hit €4 billion ($4.3 billion) in revenue, while Rainbow Six Siege has made €3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) since its 2015 release.
Ubisoft has admitted that Star Wars Outlaws has “underperformed expectations” though says it hopes to improve the game.
“Despite recent setbacks, we are continuing to deeply transform Ubisoft in order to restore the level of creativity and innovation that built Ubisoft’s success while delivering stronger execution and predictability,” Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot said.
“Even if our first-half performance fell short of our initial expectations, the double-digit growth of our back catalog excluding partnerships reaffirms the quality, uniqueness and value embedded in our brand portfolio and the strength of our Live services. This highlights our potential to deliver more recurring revenue, sustainable growth, and long-term value for our stakeholders.
“To succeed, we must redouble our focus on execution and reinforce a player-centric mindset in everything we do. For example, we are improving the quality of Star Wars Outlaws, including actively addressing player feedback through title updates as we get ready for the Steam launch, the first story pack, and the upcoming holiday season. We are also taking the additional time to ensure that the upcoming very ambitious opus in our flagship franchise, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is a highly polished, exceptional experience on day one and that it resonates strongly with players.”
