At the same time that Ubisoft delayed Watch Dogs from November 2013 to Spring 2014, they also revealed that their next-gen racer, The Crew, would be shifting its release date from early 2014 to fiscal year 2014/2015, meaning that we won’t see it until after April 1st at the earliest.
With the delay of these two titles, Ubisoft is now expecting sales of €995 million – €1.045 billion this fiscal year, down from the previous €1.42 billion – €1.45 billion. Their expectation for the second quarter of this fiscal year is that sales should exceed €210 million, with full first half sales data becoming available on November 12th.
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft Co-Founder and CEO, talked about these changes:
Our long term goal is to win the next generation. The tough decisions we are taking today to fully realize the major potential of our new creations have an impact on our short-term performance. We are convinced that, longer term, they will prove to be the right decisions both in terms of satisfaction for our fans and in terms of value creation for our shareholders. We are building franchises that will become perennial pillars of Ubisoft’s financial performance. In a context of growing successes for mega-blockbusters, the additional time given to the development of our titles will allow them to fulfill their huge ambitions and thus offer players even more exceptional experiences.
Fueled by strong momentum for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, calendar 2014 will see the return of growth to the console market. Combined with the quality of our line-up and our strong financial situation, this growth will allow us to achieve record operating income in fiscal 2014-15 and 2015-16.
What do you think of another big Ubisoft title getting delayed? Do you believe Ubisoft will win the next generation? Let us know in the comments below.
