We knew another Assassin’s Creed game was coming, but until today’s earnings call from Ubisoft, we didn’t know it would be called Assassin’s Creed III. Cue countdown to Game Informer cover?
Probably the most personally pleasing news from the call was Ubisoft remarking that Rayman: Origins has become a “profitable” game for the company. I half expected CEO Yves Guillemot to tease Beyond Good & Evil after that statement, but I know better by now.
Anyway, I ended up listening to the whole call this afternoon and took notes on what was interesting but not worth breaking out into its own story. Here’s what I noticed:
- Just Dance shipped 13 million units in 2011, and actually saw growth on the Wii.
- Users made nearly 20 million videos with a Just Dance app across iPhone, Android, Facebook.
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations showed “very solid performance in a very competitive market,” with seven million sold to retailers, and that ultimately proved “slightly above expectations.”
- Assassin’s Creed is now regularly generating $200 million in sales on a yearly basis for Ubisoft.
- Rocksmith generated $40 million in North America, and Ubisoft is pleased. There will be more Rocksmith.
- Just Dance, Rocksmith, and Assassin’s Creed were able to compensate for less-than-stellar sales of Rayman: Origins, The Adventures of Tintin and “non-dance” Kinect games.
- Ubisoft says Rayman: Origins “is already profitable, and has the capacity to be a longtime seller.”
- As Wii sales continue to slump, Ubisoft is transitioning even more to high-definition consoles.
- Assassin’s Creed III will be the “biggest launch in Ubisoft history,” and has been in development for over 3 years. The game will have the “biggest marketing commitment [Ubisoft has] ever made,” with more details “very soon.”
- For the statisticians among us, Ubisoft notes that shooters make up 30% of the industry, while driving games make up 8%. This explains, the company noted, why Ubisoft will be more shooter focused in coming years.
- Ubisoft would like to see more of its core brands have free-to-play extensions.
- Ubisoft does not believe it will be significantly impacted by next-generation transition, having invested in the transition with its teams already, and a strong lineup with huge sales potential this year will prepare them.
- The company will have “more than six titles” for the Wii U around launch, and believes “the machine will bring some fresh air to the industry.”
- Ubisoft was quiet on its Wii U lineup, but said it would be a mix of core and casual games.