Ubisoft 2005 Annual Report Download - page 23

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recorded a company high on next-gen handheld platforms,
demonstrating the direct influence of box office success on game
adaptation sales, while Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official
Game of the Movie set a new industry standard upon its launch,
achieving the best rating ever awarded to a multiplatform game
based on a movie license, and selling over 4.5 million units to-date.
Having proved that high-quality and innovative gameplay can go
hand in hand with a licensed franchise, Ubisoft is now seeking to
further strengthen its ties with Hollywood, with the goal of beco-
ming the interactive partner of choice for top entertainment
licenses in fiscal 2007 and beyond. Sony’s upcoming family-
friendly movie, Open Season™, will hit both the big screen and
home consoles simultaneously in fall 2006, while an exclusive
licensing agreement with Hollywood major Touchstone Television
will see Ubisoft develop the game adaptation of blockbuster TV
series Lost®in 2007.
SUSTAINING SALES
THROUGH MULTI-
PLATFORM SUPPORT
Along with creating strong brands and entering new market
segments, Ubisoft’s growth also relies upon its commitment to
provide quality products for all major supports. As the number
of platforms continues to increase, Ubisoft draws on both its own
teams and on the strong partnerships it continues to foster with
external publishers to develop and commercialize games on
multiple platforms. Paying particular care to ensuring that
games adapted from one platform to another respect the speci-
ficities of each support and offer novel features, Ubisoft is able
to reach an ever-increasing number of consumers without a
proportional increase in production costs.
With titles currently available on the PlayStation®2, Xbox®,
Xbox 360™, GameCube™, GameBoy Advance™, Nintendo DS™,
PlayStation®Portable (PSP) and PC/Mac, Ubisoft has continued to
work closely with manufacturers to prepare titles that are ready at
launch on next-generation machines. One of the only publishers
to have released four titles on the Xbox 360™ within 2 months of
its launch, Ubisoft also successfully previewed 6 games for Sony’s
PlayStation®3 and Nintendo’s Wii™ at E3 2006.
This multi-platform support was a winning strategy for Ubisoft
in fiscal 2006, where strong handheld sales, up 50% on fiscal
2005, offset the decreasing current generation home console
market. The combined effect of Star Wars™ Episode III: Revenge
of the Sith™ and key launch titles on next-gen handhelds such
as worldwide hit Lumines™, resulted in Ubisoft achieving handheld
revenues that were in line with the console market breakdown. RUGBY CHALLENGE 2006
STA R WARS™EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH™
PETER JACKSON’SKING KONG: THE OFFICIAL GAME OF THE MOVIE
21
UBISOFT • 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
STRATEGY