Ubisoft Reports a 2.9% Decline in Net Bookings

A dip in Ubisoft’s net bookings by, like, 2.9%? That’s what they’re saying for the months wrapping up at the end of June. I mean, €281.6 million isn’t exactly pocket change, right? But it’s still a bit lower than before. They’re blaming a bunch of reasons for this hiccup. Rainbow Six: Siege didn’t pull its weight—no idea what happened there—and some big deal was expected; however, it got pushed to the next quarter. Typical, huh?

On the flip side, Ubisoft’s back catalogue is actually doing pretty well, raking in €260.4 million which, interestingly, is up by 4.4% from last year’s numbers. Kinda cool how old stuff can still make waves, right?

Then there’s all this buzz about them shaking things up with something called Creative Houses. Sounds fancy but really, it’s like different sections within Ubisoft. The first of these is, apparently, this Tencent-backed thing they talked about earlier this year. CEO Yves Guillemot is all about it, saying it’s a way to boost creativity and performance.

He’s probably onto something, talking about making these units handle different gaming experiences, giving them freedom and responsibility. The whole idea seems to be about tightening the ship, making each house a powerhouse of creativity while holding down the business side. Wonder how this’ll play out with big names like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry under these new wings. Anyway, feels like a step towards them being more flexible yet grounded. Let’s see what happens next!