Ubisoft today reported the results of its first fiscal quarter of 2017, which ended on June 30. It was a positive one for the publisher, as it saw sales increase the absence of any major new releases during the period.
Sales for the quarter were €202.1 million, an increase of 45.2% compared with the same period a year ago and higher than Ubisoft projected. A whopping 80.4% of that came in the form of digital revenue, up from 75.3% last year. The back catalog (meaning games not released during this period) made up 94.3% of total sales, up from 91.1%.
In lieu of any new games from this quarter to discuss, Ghost Recon: Wildlands (which launched in March) was singled out as the “biggest hit” of the year. Ubisoft says this is true when combining its physical and digital sales on all platforms in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan through the first half of the year.
A breakdown of sales by region and platform revealed little change in the former category. However, PS4 sales accounted for a much bigger portion of overall sales than last year. During this quarter, it accounted for 44%, compared with 22% for Xbox One. Last year, they accounted for 31% and 23%, respectively. PC declined to 21% from 26% last year.
There was little else of note shared in today’s earnings report. However, the positive outcome is significant considering the looming threat of a takeover by Vivendi, as Ubisoft hopes to continue to demonstrate that its strategy is working effectively.