Ubisoft, Capcom, Xbox Game Pass… This week’s trade news

Business News Ubisoft, Capcom, Xbox Game Pass… This week’s trade news

Odyssey Interactive: Riot Games alumni studio raised nearly $20 million

On September 17, studio Odyssey Interactive released Omega Strikers in an open beta. Regard Free 3 vs 3 gamewhich includes the strategic and multiplayer aspect of League of Legends, instant engagement with Rocket League and the power of games like Windjammers 2. Steam reviews for Omega Strikers are excellentwith nearly 8000 reviews giving a very positive overall rating.

Behind Odyssey Interactive, we find Alumni Republish (Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order) but also and above all From the former developers of Riot Gamesand Dax Andros, David Caporo, Eric Lawless and Richard Henkel, who have worked in League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. Expected on mobile and consoles in February 2023, Omega Strikers will be able to do just that Relying on a more solid structure, able to continue. distance Financing Series A, which corresponds to the improvement of the business plan. Led by Makers Fund, Anthos Capital, Andreesen Horowitz, and Mitch Lasky, the new fundraising enabled Odyssey Interactive to bring in 19 million dollars in coffers :

Dax Andus said our goal as a development team has always been to inspire and ignite the competitive spirit of gamers, and we believe we can reach this ambitious height by incorporating their feedback from beta and doubling down during launch.

Like others, Capcom has just published its results for the first fiscal half of 2023. A period that coincides above all with the launch of Sunbreak, the extension of Monster Hunter Rise. With no other big releases left, Capcom signs up 30% decrease in trading volume Compared to last year and profit decrease 27%. So we have a turnover of 333.7 million euros, and Net profit of 109.4 million euros. However, it should be noted that this relatively “weak” semester is the opposite of the first semester of 2021, during which Resident Evil Village was released.

however, Game sales soarWhich is a very good sign for the publisher, as they can count on sales of their licenses in the long run. Between April 1 and September 30, 2022, Capcom . distributed 21.3 million games, For 19.8 million in 2021. The good students are Devil May Cry 5 and its 6 million copies Sent around the world, Monster Hunter World which has crossed the 18 million mark, Resident Evil 2 and 10 million copies, but also Monster Hunter Rise that we find twice. The base game has expired in 11 million Copy on Switch and PC, while Sunrise It sold 4.4 million units.

Results that encourage Capcom to revise its goals upwards for the second half, during which we will find the Resident Evil Village Gold Edition that includes DLC on Rose Winters Or even a Resident Evil 4 remake, expected on March 24, 2023. However, there is still the unknown Street Fighter 6, whose beta seems convinced. Capcom has yet to specify an exact release date, so we can’t expect it to be in the next review. Anyway, the Japanese publisher It expects an annual turnover of 848 million euros And a net profit of 247.6 million euros.

Xbox Game Pass missed its goals for fiscal year 2022

Microsoft this week released its financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2023. So the gaming division got its own, as we learned that Microsoft has done a Video game revenue reached $3.61 billion, highest in brand history for the first quarter. Moreover, it is also a very good quarter for Game Pass PC, up 159% Although there are no major exclusives. In other words, the catalog and third-party add-ons continue to attract more people. Game Pass as a whole is now profitable. With more than 25 million subscribers according to the latest numbers, the service is achieved Between 10 and 15% of the turnover From Microsoft Gaming.

However, growth is slowing on consoles, and Phil Spencer, Xbox honcho, says the percentage should stay the same. Either way, revenue continues to grow, and Finally looming the first price increaseMaybe after the end of the year holidays. However, we know this from Derek Strickland Xbox Game Pass has missed its targets During the period from July 2021 to June 2022. This was already the case in the previous year, where growth stagnated at 37% against a target of 47%. Last year, the gap was bigger, since then Growth was 28.07% with a very ambitious (also?) target of 72.88%.

It is important to note, however, that Game Pass offers is The only gaming-related element that is part of the specific goals of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. In other words, a portion of its rewards are related to Game Pass. No need to worry about the big boss, who, as Gamekult points out, chose no less than $55 million in cash and inventory At the end of the previous fiscal year ending on June 30.

Ubisoft is looking for itself, and the results are falling in the first half

The French publisher, like others, presented its financial results for the first half ending on September 30, 2022. The comparison with the same period last year is striking, as we note a decrease in the volume of business by 20.1 million euros, compared to 731.2 million in 2022 compared to 751.3 in 2021. Operating profit From 25.9 million euros to -215.3 million euro while Losses 190.2 million net profit.

In these findings, we found in the hollow of Ghost Recon Frontline, Splinter Cell VR, and two other unreleased games whose sacrifices will be used in Focus development efforts on promising games. Fewer games, but more diverse offer, which will be accompanied by a “simplification” of the organization and measures aimed at workforce stability. The main game is clearly called Assassin’s Creed, whose future seems to be entirely defined with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but also Red projects, Jade, a distinctly multiplayer game (Invictus), all linked through the Infinity Gate.

Our goal is to take the brand to new heights by reaching a much wider audience with more platforms and business models. Ubisoft said we are implementing this strategic approach across our other major brands, beginning with Rainbow Six and The Division in the near future.

However, you can be satisfied with Ubisoft 20 million players which launched Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the excellent critical reception for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and 85 million players With an active Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege account. It only remains to be seen how Skull and Bones (which is out of development) performs when they are released on March 9th. On the other hand, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will only be taken into account in the next exercise, so you won’t be able to take advantage of the momentum it provides. Avatar 2: Waterway (December 14) to promote its launch. Finally, note the great ambitions of Ubisoft in the mobile sector, with Rainbow Six Mobile having beta beta. Collected more than 250,000 players.

Briefly in the news of the week

• FIFA 23 dominates sales in France (value and physical) in Week 41. The PS4, PS5 and Switch editions occupy the platform, followed by Splatoon 3 and, as you already know… Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
• 4J Studios, the name behind which we found the console ports in Minecraft, has released a publishing poster. The first published game will be called Heaven’s TalesDeveloped in Scotland by Puny Astronaut.
• Alan Wake Remastered and CrossfireX brought nothing to Remedy, which reported €30 million in sales, -3 million operating profit, and -3.2 million net result.
• Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, founders rock solidannounced their departure. They leave the keys to Nathan Burlow and Darius Sadeghian, who will help the teams complete a nearly complete Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
• Sega has opened a subsidiary in Singapore to expand into Southeast Asia.

Our other business news for this week