Ubisoft posts a record year thanks to Assassin’s Creed and its strong back catalog

Ubisoft has released its financial report for 2020-21 — the period ending on March 31, 2021 — posting net bookings of $2.27 billion (€2.24 billion). That is up a massive 46.1% compared to the previous year.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, which came out last November, gave the company a big boost. According to Ubisoft, the franchise had its best year ever. In fact, it brought in 50% more revenue than in its previous best financial year, 2012-13.

Ubisoft also credits Just Dance and the strength of its back catalog for the strong year. Games released before the financial period made up more than 50% of Ubisoft’s net bookings for the third year in a row. There’s also the pandemic factor, as the quarantine caused many to turn to gaming for entertainment.

In total, Ubisoft recorded 141 million players during 2020-21, up 20% from the previous year. While PC and console are big for Ubisoft, mobile is still a relatively small business for them. Mobile made up 8% of the 2020-21 net bookings.

“Alongside these successes, we have pursued the transformation of our organization that we had initiated 18 months ago to ensure Ubisoft is positioned to meaningfully grow audience and recurring revenues over the coming years,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot notes in the financial report. “We have also implemented profound changes to ensure the continued development of an inclusive working environment where our talents can thrive and deliver the game experiences that players will love and share.” Ubisoft had come under fire for toxic workplace problems.

For the future, Ubisoft has reasons to be optimistic. It is working on several big projects, including Skull & Bones (which is no longer set to come out this year), Beyond Good & Evil 2, Avatar, and a Star Wars game. Ubisoft also notes that the next Assassin’s Creed will build on the RPG formula that the franchise has been using for recent installments.