Ubisoft Announces 2.9% Decline in Net Bookings

Alright, so here’s the scoop—you know, life’s never simple, right? Ubisoft, that huge, French gaming behemoth, just told everyone they caught a 2.9% dip in net bookings for the recent three-month stretch ending June 30th. Yeah, it’s not a “go dig a bunker” moment, but still, somebody’s got some explaining to do.

So, they gathered shareholders—those folks with big stakes—and spilled the beans. They raked in €281.6 million, which is, like, $330.8 million if you like swapping currencies. A tiny tumble but still. They mumbled something about Rainbow Six: Siege not exactly hitting the bullseye and, oh, a partnership? Yeah, it was supposed to stick the landing this quarter but tripped over into the next one. Uh, classic.

But, here’s a twist, their back catalog? It’s kicking and shouting, “We’re doing fine, thank you very much!” Brought home €260.4 million, which sounds crazy good to me—up 4.4% compared to last year. Like, where’d that come from? Figures, huh?

And there’s more brewing. Ubisoft’s all about reshuffling the deck into what they’re dubbing Creative Houses. I imagine a bunch of high-flying ideas bouncing around. The first on this new rollercoaster is that Tencent-backed crew from earlier. Yep, that’s them!

Their head honcho, Yves Guillemot—let’s just call him the big boss—was all like, “We’re cooking up a storm in Ubisoft’s kitchen, changing things with these Creative Houses.” He said they’re about jazzing up their game experiences, pumping up quality, freedom, and—wait for it—accountability. Sounds fancy, but hey, fingers crossed, right?

And in the star-studded lineup, we’ve got Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six under this fresh, shiny subsidiary. Yves says this move is the first big step towards this flexible, ninja-like organization—guess they’re hoping to nail stability with a dollop of creativity. We’ll see how that pans out.

Anyway, that’s the story! Ubisoft’s riding the waves, rolling with the punches, and who knows what’s next? Keep those eyes peeled!