France’s Ubisoft Full-Year Net Bookings Fall 20.5%

A man passes by the main entrance of Ubisoft video firm company where a strike call is planned on February 14, 2024, in Montpellier, south of France, on February 13, 2024. (AFP)
A man passes by the main entrance of Ubisoft video firm company where a strike call is planned on February 14, 2024, in Montpellier, south of France, on February 13, 2024. (AFP)
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France’s Ubisoft Full-Year Net Bookings Fall 20.5%

A man passes by the main entrance of Ubisoft video firm company where a strike call is planned on February 14, 2024, in Montpellier, south of France, on February 13, 2024. (AFP)
A man passes by the main entrance of Ubisoft video firm company where a strike call is planned on February 14, 2024, in Montpellier, south of France, on February 13, 2024. (AFP)

France's largest video game maker Ubisoft on Wednesday posted a 20.5% fall in full-year net bookings as the company has faced issues with delayed releases and the underperformance of some of its leading titles.

The maker of the blockbuster franchise "Assassin's Creed" reported net bookings of 1.85 billion euros ($2.07 billion) for the year to March 31, slightly below its guidance of around 1.9 billion euros.

Ubisoft plans to announce a new overall group organization by the end of the year, with the objective to best serve player needs, deliver superior game quality and drive disciplined capital allocation, it said in a statement.

It expects full-year 2025-2026 stable net bookings year-on-year and roughly break-even non-IFRS operating income. Net bookings for the first quarter are forecast at 310 million euros.

Ubisoft also expects to return to positive non-IFRS operating income and free cash flow generation in 2026-2027, it said.

"After a review of our pipeline, we have decided to provide additional development time to some of our biggest productions to create the best conditions for success," CEO Yves Guillemot said in the statement.

As a result, he said, the next two years would see "significant content coming from our largest brands."

In March, the company faced a make-or-break moment with the launch of the newest instalment in "Assassin's Creed" franchise as the company grappled with falling revenue, a sinking stock price and takeover speculation.

"Aware of the challenges ahead, we took decisive steps to continue strengthening the company's future. The launch of 'Assassin's Creed Shadows' was a defining moment," Guillemot said.

The release had reaffirmed the power of the brand, he added, and had received a "highly favorable community response".

Ubisoft said that the game delivered the second-highest Day 1 sales revenue in franchise history and set a new record for Ubisoft's Day 1 performance on the PlayStation digital store.



SDAIA Receives Recognition for Innovative Projects at WSIS Summit in Geneva

SDAIA’s nominated projects represented a distinguished set of technological initiatives that demonstrated innovation, relevance, and impact in their respective fields - SPA
SDAIA’s nominated projects represented a distinguished set of technological initiatives that demonstrated innovation, relevance, and impact in their respective fields - SPA
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SDAIA Receives Recognition for Innovative Projects at WSIS Summit in Geneva

SDAIA’s nominated projects represented a distinguished set of technological initiatives that demonstrated innovation, relevance, and impact in their respective fields - SPA
SDAIA’s nominated projects represented a distinguished set of technological initiatives that demonstrated innovation, relevance, and impact in their respective fields - SPA

The Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) received certificates for its nominated projects, which were recognized among the best entries at the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes held in Geneva, Switzerland, highlighting SDAIA’s innovative contributions to the fields of data and artificial intelligence (AI).

SDAIA’s nominated projects represented a distinguished set of technological initiatives that demonstrated innovation, relevance, and impact in their respective fields.

Out of 973 submissions from various countries, they were chosen after an expert evaluation conducted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), SPA reported.

The nominated projects included the government cloud-computing platform “Deem,” which provides integrated and flexible cloud services for government entities; the “Nafath” application for biometric identity verification; the “Serti” service within the “Tawakkalna” app that enables users to display their certified academic qualifications; the “Tahseen” project, which uses AI to restore and enhance historical media; and the “Allam” and “Sawtak” projects, both of which represent a significant leap in supporting and processing Arabic using large language models and speech recognition technologies.

These achievements reflect the Kingdom’s commitment, through SDAIA, to reinforcing its global standing as a trusted authority in data and AI, advancing the national digital transformation agenda, and supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. They also contribute to enhancing the Kingdom’s regional and international competitiveness in technology and innovation.