Ubisoft announced its sales figures for the first half of the 2009-2010 fiscal year today, indicating a sales decline of more than 50% over the same period last year.
Ubisoft's combined sales for the first two quarters of 2008-2009 were €344 million ($510 million). A year later, and that figure drops by 52%, down to €166 million ($246 million). Half of those sales were in the second quarter of the year, when Ubisoft release Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Academy of Champions, making the total of €83 million ($126 million) in sales seem a bit on the high side, all things considered.
The low sales figures translate into an operating loss of €80.0 million ($119 million), compared to an operating income of €33.0 million ($49 million) during the same period last year.
Despite the low numbers, Ubisoft remains optimistic. While the company's first half may have been weak, it's looking to make up for it with a lineup of big releases during the third and fourth quarter of the fiscal year. Assassin's Creed 2, James Cameron's Avatar, and Rabbids Go Home are all expected to be big titles in the third quarter, generating an estimated €540 million ($801 million). With that in mind, Ubisoft confirmed its guidance for the fiscal year, aiming at sales of €1.040 billion ($1.5 billion).