UBISOFT® REPORTS FULL-YEAR 2015-16 SALES AND EARNINGS FIGURES


Ubisoft® REPORTS FULL-year 2015-16
sales and earnings figures

  • Sales and earnings exceed revised targets
     
    • Sales: €1,394 million
       
    • Non-IFRS operating income: €169 million
       
    • A further rise in profitability: 12.1%
       
    • Non-IFRS diluted EPS: 1.13€

             

  • Stronger-than-expected performances from Far Cry® Primal and Tom Clancy's The DivisionTM
  • Significant increase in player engagement levels, boosting the digital segment's sales weighting to a record 32%
     
  • Back-catalog sales up sharply, representing 25% of total sales, confirming an increasingly recurring financial profile
     
  • 2016-17 targets confirmed

Paris, May 12, 2016 - Today, Ubisoft released its sales and earnings figures for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated "We ended fiscal 2015-16 on a very positive note, having effectively executed our plan: the performances delivered by The Division and Far Cry Primal exceeded our expectations, we continued our major come-back in the multiplayer segment and we saw a significant increase in player engagement levels for our games. The Division currently has 9.5 million registered users, and active players are playing the game an average of three hours[1] per day. These successes resulted in our digital segment outperforming our targets for the fiscal year and positively impacted our profitability."

Guillemot went on to say "Since our initial public offering 20 years ago, we have built one of the world's leading players in the entertainment industry and have created significant value for our shareholders, with a 14-fold increase in the Company's share price. Over the past few years, we have considerably strengthened our portfolio of owned brands. For example, we have tripled the audience for Far Cry, doubled it for Rainbow Six, and launched The Division and Watch Dogs which were the first and third-largest releases ever for a new video game brand. In parallel, we have increased the sales weighting of our digital segment to 32%, primarily through organic growth.

Thanks to these repeated successes, we have demonstrated our capacity to effectively implement and execute our strategic plan. As a result, we are now entering a new phase of expansion and strong value creation for our shareholders, with 2018-19 operating margin targeted to reach 20% and free cash flow expected to come in at around €300 million."

Non-IFRS income statement and key financial data

In € millions 2015-16 % 2014-15 restated* %
Sales 1,394.0   1,463.8  
Gross profit 1,088.9 78.1% 1,126.7 77.0%
R&D expenses (500.3) -35.9% (573.5) -39.2%
Selling expenses (304.5) -21.8% (284.1) -19.4%
General and administrative expenses (115.1) -8.3% (98.6) -6.7%
Total SG&A expenses (419.6) -30.1% (382.7) -26.1%
Non-IFRS operating income 169.0 12.1% 170.5 11.6%
Non-IFRS net income 129.0   112.6  
Non-IFRS diluted earnings per share 1.13   1.00  
Cash flows from operating activities** (148.8)   232.4  
R&D investment expenditure*** 586.8   537.3  
Net (debt)/cash position (41.7)   211.3  

*Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21. ** Based on the consolidated cash flow statement for comparison with other industry players (unaudited). *** Including royalties but excluding future commitments.

Sales

Full-year sales for 2015-16 totaled €1,394.0 million, down 4.8% (or 10.7 % at constant exchange rates) compared with the €1,463.8 million recorded for 2014-15 but higher than the recently revised target of €1,360.0 million.

Sales in the fourth quarter of 2015-16 came to €624.9 million versus €169.9 million in the corresponding prior-year period, representing a jump of 267.7% (or 250.3% at constant exchange rates).

Highlights from 2015-16 include:

  • Placing three games (Tom Clancy's The Division, Far Cry Primal, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege) among the five best-sellers[2] for the first three months of calendar 2016.
  • The record-breaking releases2 of Tom Clancy's The Division and Far Cry Primal, which exceeded expectations and were the industry's most successful new video-game launch ever and the best performance ever for a game released in the month of February, respectively.
  • Success of Ubisoft's multiplayer strategy aimed at increasing player engagement:
  • Tom Clancy's The Division attained very high player engagement levels, with currently a total of 9.5 million registered users, and active players playing the game an average of three hours per day.
  • Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege doubled its audience. Daily active users (DAU) is at 60% of peak DAU four months after launch - a remarkable performance compared with industry standards[3] and a clear illustration of the exceptional retention power of the game's multiplayer mode.
  • The digital segment amounted to €446.7 million, up 16.7%, and accounted for 32.0% of total sales (26.1% in 2014-15) compared with a target of around 30%.
  • A 45.6% rise in back-catalog sales to €354.6 million, led by sustained sales from franchises as well as digital revenues. The back-catalog represented 25.4% of total sales in 2015-16, confirming an increasingly recurring financial profile.

Main income statement items

Gross profit increased to 78.1% as a percentage of sales (versus 77.0% in 2014-15) but contracted to €1,088.9 million from €1,126.7 million in absolute value terms.

Non-IFRS operating income came in at €169.0 million (€170.5 million in 2014-15), exceeding the Group's revised target of €150 million.

The year-on-year change in non-IFRS operating income reflects the following:

  • A €37.8 million decrease in gross profit.
  • A €73.2 million reduction in R&D expenses to €500.3 million (35.9% of sales) from €573.5 million (39.2% of sales) in 2014-15, primarily due to the fact that (i) five AAA titles were released in 2014-15 (including Assassin's Creed® Rogue) compared with four in 2015-16, and (ii) two major titles - Tom Clancy's The Division and Far Cry Primal - were released towards the end of the fiscal year.
  • A €36.9 million increase in SG&A expenses to €419.6 million (30.1% of sales) from €382.7 million (26.1% of sales) in 2014-15:
  • Variable marketing expenses amounted to €217.3 million (15.6% of sales) compared with €206.1 million (14.1% of sales) in 2014-15. The lower figures for 2014-15 reflect the fact that a portion of the marketing expenses for Watch Dogs was incurred in 2013-14.
     
  • Structure costs totaled €202.2 million (14.5% of sales) versus €176.6 million (12.1% of sales) in 2014-15, with one third of the year-on-year increase due to currency effects.

             
Ubisoft recorded non-IFRS net income of €129.0 million for 2015-16, representing non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of €1.13, compared with non-IFRS net income of €112.6 million and non-IFRS diluted earnings per share of €1.00 for the previous year.

IFRS net income amounted to €93.4 million, representing IFRS diluted earnings per share of €0.82, versus IFRS net income of €86.8 million and IFRS diluted earnings per share of €0.77 in 2014-15.

The average tax rate was 24% after taking into consideration the upcoming amendments to the income tax rate in France on temporary differences.

Main cash flow statement[4] and balance sheet items

Cash flows from operating activities represented a net outflow of €148.8 million compared with a net inflow of €232.4 million in 2014-15. This reflects a €104.5 million cash flow from operations (versus €173.5 million in 2014-15) and a €253.3 million increase in working capital requirement (against a €58.9 million decrease in 2014-15) due to the release of two major titles - Tom Clancy's The Division and Far Cry Primal - towards the end of the fiscal year. Free cash flow before working capital requirement was positive, coming in at €61.8 million.

At March 31, 2016 Ubisoft had net debt of €41.7 million compared with net cash of €211.3 million one year earlier, as the Company bought back 3,488,214 shares during the year for €79.3 million.

Outlook

Sales for the first quarter of 2016-17

The Group expects first-quarter 2016-17 sales to amount to approximately €125.0 million, up 29% on first-quarter 2015-16.

Full-year 2016-17

Ubisoft is standing by its targets for full-year 2016-17, namely sales of around €1,700 million, non-IFRS operating income of approximately €230 million and solid free cash flow generation.

Sales growth for the fiscal year will be driven by:

  • A rise in revenues from new games releases, with a larger number of AAA title releases (five compared with four),
     
  • Further strong growth for the back-catalog which is expected to account for around 30% of total sales, fueled by the success of Tom Clancy's The Division, Far Cry Primal and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege,
     
  • Another sharp increase in recurring digital revenues, with the digital segment representing over 35% of total sales.

Recent significant events

Release of Hungry Shark® World: More than 10 million[1] downloads in less than 6 days, making it the world's second biggest release of the year.

Presentation of the three-year plan: On February 18, 2016, Ubisoft presented its financial targets for 2018-19, which correspond to sales of approximately €2,200 million, non-IFRS operating margin of 20%, and free cash flow of around €300 million.

Appointment of Didier Crespel as Lead Independent Director: Following a proposal from the Appointments Committee, Ubisoft's Board of Directors decided to create the role of Lead Independent Director, and appointed Didier Crespel to fill this new position. In this role, Mr. Crespel will act as the main point of contact for shareholders on all matters under the Board's responsibility and will keep the Board informed of any such contacts.

Unveiling of Eagle FlightTM: This virtual reality game - which gives players the chance to soar over Paris - will be available on the main virtual reality platforms, including PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive for PC in 2016.

Ubisoft Motion Pictures: Appointment of Gérard Guillemot as CEO. Gerard has more than 30 years' experience in the entertainment industry. His detailed knowledge of Ubisoft, experience managing creative teams and expertise in marketing and publishing makes him an ideal choice. He also has been a long-time proponent of pushing Ubisoft's brands into new entertainment mediums, and as the spearhead of that strategy, Ubisoft Motion Pictures is a natural fit.

Contact

Investor relations
Jean-Benoît Roquette
SVP Investor Relations
+ 33 1 48 18 52 39
Jean-benoit.roquette@ubisoft.com
 

Non-IFRS financial information
Ubisoft considers that "Non-IFRS operating income/(loss)" and "Non-IFRS net income/(loss)" - which are measures that are not prepared strictly in accordance with IFRS - are relevant indicators of the Group's operating and financial performance. Management uses them to run the Group's business as they are the best reflection of its recurring performance and exclude the majority of non-operating and non-recurring items. A reconciliation between the IFRS and non-IFRS measures is provided in the appendices to this press release.

Disclaimer
This statement may contain estimated financial data, information on future projects and transactions and future business results/performance. Such forward-looking data are provided for estimation purposes only. They are subject to market risks and uncertainties and may vary significantly compared with the actual results that will be published. The estimated financial data have been presented to the Board of Directors and have not been audited by the Statutory Auditors. (Additional information is specified in the most recent Ubisoft Registration Document filed on July 2, 2015 with the French Financial Markets Authority (l'Autorité des Marchés Financiers)).

About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin's Creed, Just Dance, Watch_Dogs, Tom Clancy's video game series, Rayman and Far Cry. The teams throughout Ubisoft's worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms, including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2015-16 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of €1,394 million. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

© 2016 Ubisoft Entertainment. All rights Reserved. Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, The Eagle Flight Logo, the character of Rayman, Tom Clancy's, Rainbow Six, The Division logo, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the US and/or other countries. Far Cry Primal is based on Crytek's original Far Cry directed by Cevat Yerli. RISK is a trademark of Hasbro and is used with permission.© 2016 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro to Ubisoft Entertainment. Games software © 2016 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Hungry Shark is a trademark of Future Games of London. Future Games of London is a Ubisoft Entertainment company.


APPENDICES

Breakdown of sales by geographic region

 
         
  % Sales % Sales % Sales % Sales
  Q4 2015/16 Q4 2014/15 12 months 2015/16 12 months 2014/15
Europe 43% 45% 40% 43%
North America 47% 41% 48% 46%
Rest of world 10% 14% 12% 11%
TOTAL 100% 100% 100% 100%
         
 

 

 

 

 
       
Breakdown of sales by platform
 

 
       
  Q4 2015/16 Q4 2014/15 12 months 2015/16 12 months 2014/15
PLAYSTATION®4 48% 23% 42% 32%
XBOX One(TM) 31% 19% 26% 20%
XBOX 360(TM) 1% 10% 4% 13%
PLAYSTATION®3 1% 8% 3% 13%
PC 14% 23% 14% 12%
Wii(TM) 0% 4% 3% 4%
Wii U(TM) 0% 1% 2% 1%
Others* 5% 12% 6% 5%
TOTAL 100% 100%   100%   100%
* Mobile, ancillaries.        
         



Title release schedule
1st quarter (April - June 2016)

 
     
Digital

 
   
ASSASSIN'S CREED® CHRONICLES  

PS Vita

 
 
 

ASSASSIN'S CREED® IDENTITY

 
Google Play

 
 
 

HUNGRY SHARK® WORLD

 
App Store, Google Play, Amazon  
 

TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION(TM) INCURSIONS (Free)

 
PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One(TM)  
 

TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION(TM) CONFLICT(Free)

 
PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One(TM)  
TOM CLANCY'S THE DIVISION(TM) UNDERGROUND PC, PlayStation®4, Xbox One(TM)  


The Statutory Auditors have completed their audit of the consolidated financial statements. They will issue their audit report after verifying the Group's annual financial report.

Consolidated income statement (IFRS, audited)

In thousands of euros   31.03.16   31.03.15*
   
   
         
Sales   1 393 997   1 463 753
Cost of sales   -305 065   -337 073
Gross Margin   1 088 932   1 126 680
Research and Development costs   -509 779   -580 554
Marketing costs   -305 735   -284 965
General and Administrative costs   -117 296   -100 311
Current operating income   156 122   160 850
Non-current expenses and income   -19 334   -21 717
Operating income   136 788   139 133
Net borrowing costs   -7 440   -4 766
Net foreign exchange gains/losses   -5 168   1 159
Other financial income   2 548   6 085
Other financial expenses   -3 666   -1 764
Net financial income   -13 726   712
Income tax   -29 654   -52 996
Profit for the period   93 408   86 849
Earnings per share        
Basic earnings per share (in €)   0,86   0,81
Diluted earnings per share (in €)   0,82   0,77
Weighted average number of shares in issue   108 131 113   107 523 851
Diluted weighted average number of shares in issue   114 198 228   113 297 751

 * Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21


Reconciliation of IFRS Net income and non-IFRS Net income

In million of euros,
 except for per share data
2015-16 2014-15*
IFRS Adjustment Non-IFRS IFRS Adjustment Non-IFRS
Sales 1 394,0   1 394,0 1 463,8   1 463,8
Total Operating expenses (1 257,2) 32,3 (1 225,0) (1 324,6) 31,3 (1 293,3)
Stock-based compensation (12,9) 12,9 0,0 (9,6) 9,6 0,0
Non-current expenses and income (19,3) 19,3 (0,0) (21,7) 21,7 0,0
Operating Income 136,8 32,3 169,0 139,1 31,3 170,5
Net Financial income (13,7) 3,3 (10,4) 0,7 (5,2) (4,4)
Income tax (29,7) 0,0 (29,7) (53,0) (0,4) (53,4)
Net Income 93,4 35,6 129,0 86,8 25,7 112,6
Diluted earnings per share 0,82 0,31 1,13 0,77 0,23 1,00

 * Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21



   

 

Consolidated balance sheet (IFRS, audited)
   
     
ASSETS Net Net*
In thousands of euros 31.03.16 31.03.15
Goodwill   106 194    129 906 
Other intangible assets   647 602    572 225 
Property, plant and equipment   83 946    80 984 
Other financial assets   4 339    4 162 
Deferred tax assets   122 193    135 051 
Non current assets   964 274    922 328 
Inventory   19 374    18 425 
Trade receivables   419 577    23 904 
Other receivables   100 985    113 855 
Other current financial assets   13 780    4 919 
Current tax assets   41 464    12 380 
Cash and cash equivalents   461 375    656 661 
Current assets   1 056 555    830 144 
Total assets   2 020 829    1 752 472 
  * Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21

 
     
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Net Net*
In thousands of euros 31.03.16 31.03.15
Capital   8 710    8 478 
Premiums   215 125    180 515 
Consolidated reserves   701 267    703 378 
Consolidated earnings   93 408    86 849 
Total equity   1 018 510    979 220 
Provisions   8 888    7 497 
Employee benefit   6 618    5 430 
Long-term borrowings   277 383    275 739 
Deferred tax liabilities   47 648    48 944 
Non-current liabilities   340 537    337 610 
Short-term borrowings   228 218    183 226 
Trade payables   206 246    94 919 
Other liabilities   213 807    149 874 
Current tax liabilities   13 511    7 623 
Current liabilities   661 782    435 642 
Total liabilities   1 002 319    773 252 
Total liabilities and equity   2 020 829    1 752 472 

* Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21



Consolidated cash flow statement for comparison with other industry players (non audited)  
     
In thousands of euros 31.03.16 31.03.15*
Cash flows from operating activities    
Consolidated earnings 93 408 86 849
+/- Depreciation on internal & external games & movies 402 959 457 889
+/- Other depreciation 59 841 53 075
+/- Provisions 449 3 201
+/- Cost of share-based payments 12 918 9 609
+/- Gains / losses on disposals 104 64
+/- Other income and expenses calculated 24 335 -15 534
+/- Cost of internal development and license development -489 464 -421 683
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATION 104 550 173 469
Inventory -11 3 007
Trade receivables -402 877 53 783
Other assets -29 918 -29 837
Trade payables 116 466 -5 292
Other liabilities 63 033 37 262
 +/- Change in working capital from operating activities -253 307 58 923
TOTAL CASH FLOW GENERATED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES -148 757 232 392
- Payments for the acquisition of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment -42 499 -56 244
+ Proceeds from the disposal of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 67 122
+/- Other cash flows from investing activities -34 391 -23 709
+ Repayment of loans and other financial assets 34 115 23 373
+/- Changes in scope (1) 358 -3 188
CASH USED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES -42 350 -59 646
Cash flows from financing activities    
+ New long term loans 234 554 622 283
+ New finance leases 0 10 142
- Repayment of finance leases -891 -291
- Repayment of borrowings -230 216 -466 578
+ Proceeds from shareholders in capital increases 21 924 18 054
+/- Sales / purchases of own shares -77 272 639
+/- Partner current account 258 -260
CASH GENERATED (USED) BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES -51 643 183 989
Net change in cash and cash equivalents -242 750 356 735
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the fiscal year 505 215 115 610
Impact of translation adjustments -6 777 32 870
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fiscal year 255 688 505 215
(1) Including cash in companies acquired and disposed of 371 -
 

 

RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH POSITION
   
  Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period 255 688 505 215
  Bank borrowings and from the restatement of finance leases -282 372 -278 896
  Commercial papers -15 000 -15 000
  NET CASH POSITION -41 684 211 319

* Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21

Consolidated cash flow statement IFRS (audited)    
     
In thousand of euros 31.03.16 31.03.15*
Cash flows from operating activities adjusted    
Consolidated earnings 93 408 86 849
+/- Depreciation 462 800 510 963
+/- Provisions 449 3 201
+/- Cost of share-based payments 12 918 9 609
+/- Gains / losses on disposals 104 64
+/- Other income and expenses calculated 24 335 -15 534
+/- Tax Expense 29 654 52 996
TOTAL CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS 623 668 648 148
Inventory -11 3 007
Trade receivables -402 877 53 783
Other assets -30 588 -23 503
Trade payables 116 466 -5 292
Other liabilities 61 635 34 294
 +/-Change in working capital from operating activities adjusted -255 375 62 289
 +/- Payable tax expense  -27 586 -56 362
TOTAL CASH FLOW GENERATED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES 340 707 654 075
- Payments for the acquisition of internal & external games -489 464 -421 683
- Payments for the acquisition of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment -42 499 -56 244
+ Proceeds from the disposal of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 67 122
+/- Other cash flows from investing activities -34 391 -23 709
+ Repayment of loans and other financial assets 34 115 23 373
+/- Changes in scope (1) 358 -3 188
CASH USED BY INVESTING ACTIVITIES ADJUSTED -531 814 -481 330
Cash flows from financing activities    
+ New long term loans 234 554 622 283
+ New finance leases 0 10 142
- Repayment of finance leases -891 -291
- Repayment of borrowings -230 216 -466 578
+ Proceeds from shareholders in capital increases 21 924 18 054
+/- Sales / purchases of own shares -77 272 639
+/- Partner current account 258 -260
CASH GENERATED (USED) BY FINANCING ACTIVITIES -51 643 183 989
Net change in cash and cash equivalents -242 750 356 735
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the fiscal year 505 215 115 610
Impact of translation adjustments -6 777 32 870
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fiscal year 255 688 505 215
(1) Including cash in companies acquired and disposed of 371 -

* Restated to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21



[1] As at May 8, 2016

[2] Sources: NPD, GFK, and internal estimates

[3] Source: DFC Intelligence

[4] Based on the consolidated cash flow statement for comparison with other industry players (unaudited)


Attachments

Ubisoft - FY2015-16

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