Big-budget franchises and sprawling open world games drove Ubisoft’s annual sales for the year ended March 31, 2015, the company announced today.
Sales for the year were €1.4 billion ($1.65 billion), up 45 percent compared to the year prior. Net profits were €113 million, an improvement over the prior year’s €49 million loss.
Major sellers for the company were Assassin’s Creed games Unity and Rogue, along with Far Cry 4 and Watch Dogs. The company today also announced a new installment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
Notably, Ubisoft is continuing to flow with the market’s transition to digital goods. The company said its digital sales grew 97 percent to €382.7 million, accounting for 26 percent of total sales for the year. That’s up from 19 percent of sales the year prior.
Aside from new releases, Ubisoft said stable sales of catalog games contributed to the annual results.
CEO Yves Guillemot said in a statement, “We intend to continue pursuing our strategy of in-house creation of major franchises for the entertainment industry. Driven by ever more engaged communities, the ramp-up of our high-potential live services and overall growth in the sector, we believe this strategy puts us in a strong position for the foreseeable future.”
The company added that its upcoming game, Tom Clancy’s The Division, is expected to miss the holidays, but still arrive by March next year, within the current fiscal year.
The publisher expects profits of at least €200 million for the current fiscal year, with sales “stable” compared to this year’s results.