Ubisoft 2013 Annual Report Download - page 3

Ubisoft’s financial and operational performance has
consistently progressed over the last three years, and
is a direct result of the long-term investments we’ve
made. These investments have enabled us to continue
developing our production capacity and to continue
increasing our expertise in the online and fields. This
performance was also made possible thanks to a
consistently high level of quality and regular launches
of our titles, which are also the two main ingredients
of the best performing brands of the last cycle.
Moreover, our franchises benefit from a recognized
creative know-how and a first-rate development
capacity with more than 7000 developers and a
network of 26 studios throughout the world. Our
optimized studio collaboration model with lead and
associate studios gives us the necessary means
and capacity to offer our fans experiences that are
exceptionally rich and deep and at an even greater
frequency. This organization also enables us to have
good visibility on our future results and revenues.
A new console cycle is about to begin and will offer
gamers unprecedented experiences. Consumers
will benefit from major advances in terms of quality
with extreme immersion as well as new features that
integrate the innovations born in online and social
games – and we will be able to take these innovations
even further. We will therefore have games that
are incredibly beautiful, animated and immersive
as well as more friendly and engaging with a much
longer lifespan enabling gamers to create their own
experiences and share them with their communities.
The transition brought about by next-generation
consoles is therefore going to attract new consumers
and will enable our industry to reach new heights.
In order to take full advantage of the strong expected
growth at the launch of these new consoles, we’re
integrating, into our upcoming blockbusters, all the
know-how we’ve acquired over the past few years
with online games like Trackmania, Settlers Online,
Howrse, Trials Evolution or with Uplay which offers
us with a strategic connection to our players. These
types of connected experiences, combined with the
high-quality of our games and our capacity to launch
new opuses on a regular basis will be a key advantage
in the conquest of new market share and a key source
of strong expected growth in the coming years.
In conclusion, Ubisoft reached a new level this year.
We are well positioned to continue creating the best
gaming experiences of tomorrow and to establish
even more direct relationships with our consumers.
That will give us the means to take full advantage of
all the opportunities offered by next-gen and high-end
PC, which hold great potential, as well as the dynamic
Free-to-Play market on PC and mobile. There are
many challenges ahead, but the opportunities are just
as great and look thrilling.
I want to thank all Ubisoft teams for the progress they
have made, as well as for their passion and unwavering
commitment. I also want to thank all our shareholders,
partners, and clients for their support.
Yves Guillemot