In the video game landscape, it’s impossible to ignore or do without Ubisoft. The company has been around for so long that it’s really hard to remember a time when it didn’t exist. It all started with the Guillot family business dealing with the support of farmers in Brittany (France). The Guillemot brothers (all five of them) later decided to set up their own business to help farmers in the region, but also indulged in their passion for technology. Thus, in 1984 began Guillemot Informatique: a small company that sold software programs and computers and, later, distributed video games. The brothers soon saw the potential afterward and decided to add development to their curriculum.
Nowadays, the company has studios and offices around the world and is known for its catalog full of games that brought their own innovation to the market and became legendary titles and saga. Ubisoft has always been quite adept at using and adapting new advances efficiently to create polished universes. The company has grown rapidly since 1986, but, in an effort to maintain their independence, the Guillot brothers are still in the picture as they own a fair share of shares. Let’s take a look at how the company has progressed with the most important figures and facts from Ubisoft.
Ubisoft key stats
Becoming the Titan it is today was not done in one night for Ubisoft. With time and success, the company started expanding into other areas such as cinema and television with its specialized division. Or the R&D lab, with La Forge, which deals with AI and prototyping in academia. Of course, it all started somewhere, and it was done progressively over those 36 years, for the “ubiquitous presence” spread throughout the world.
Ubisoft’s market value has been around $5.634 billion market cap.
By 1986, Guillemot Informatique was growing to 40 million French francs (or $5.8 million at the time).
In FY21, Ubisoft generated €2,223.8 million ($2,477,746,841) in sales. A big increase compared to FY20. But 2020 is the weakest year with €1,594.8 million ($1,776,918,186) even though compared to FY19 and its €1,845.5 million ($2,056,246,872) sales. For the first half of FY22, Ubisoft earned €751.3 million ($837,094,703.50).
In 2021, there were 141 million unique players active on PC and consoles, a 20% increase year over year.
Ubisoft video games
The complete saga that any gamer would know, even if they never got a chance to play those games. From open worlds to space operas or even rhythm games, Ubisoft has dipped its toes in different seas and has always managed to get used to the temperatures. Here are his most famous titles.
Assassin’s Creed
The 3 games covering Ezio’s story, Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood and Revelations, have together sold over 23.2 million units.
That same year, Odyssey, Unity, and Origins had sold over 10 million units since the game’s release. Black Flag has sold over 11 million units, and Assassin’s Creed III has sold +12 million units.
In 2021, the Assassin’s Creed franchise broke its own record by increasing its annual revenue by 50%.
In 2020, daily player engagement, PRI (DLCs, season passes, subscriptions, etc.), Assassin’s Creed Odyssey through sales grew by 90%, 170%, and 90%, respectively.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is now the second-highest-grossing game for Ubisoft, generating $1 billion in lifetime revenue as of December 2021.
Since the first game, Assassin’s Creed has always been a phenomenal success. The open-world action-adventure stealth game garnered the gaming community thanks to its ambitious graphics, visual identity, gameplay, and deep narrative. Games also introduced parkour, using the environment in a fast and panicky style that became a trend and featured in other games such as Dying Light or Mirror’s Edge. However, over the years the game has been criticized for nearly annual releases of each installment, for bugs (becoming a community meme), or changes in mechanics. The franchise has taken the form of many iterations: novels, concerts, books, several spin-off titles, mobile games, comics, etc.