Ubisoft Announces 2.9% Decline in Net Bookings

Sure thing, here it goes:

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Okay, so picture this: Ubisoft, you know, the big French gaming company? They just told their shareholders that net bookings went down by, like, 2.9% for the quarter that ended on June 30th. Yeah, not ideal. They raked in €281.6 million (which is about $330.8 million for those of us not working with euros), but still, there’s a dip. Why though? Apparently, Rainbow Six: Siege didn’t hit the mark, and a big partnership plan got pushed to the next quarter. Go figure.

But here’s the weird twist – back catalogue sales are up! It was something like €260.4 million, which is a 4.4% boost from last year. I mean, maybe people are just feeling nostalgic? Could be that. Or maybe they just missed some games? Who knows.

Oh, and Ubisoft’s shaking things up with something they call Creative Houses. Sounds fancy, right? Basically, they’re dividing the company into sections. The first one’s got Tencent backing, which they mentioned earlier this year. Yves Guillemot, the CEO (also co-founder, by the way), spilled the beans on it. He says these Creative Houses will help bring better quality games and more focus. I guess they’re trying to make things, you know, smoother and more innovative. Or maybe they just like the sound of it? Hard to say.

The new setup supposedly boosts creativity and stability. Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six are under this first Creative House. The leadership they announced recently is supposed to be a big deal. But, yeah, they’re aiming for this whole agile and focused thing. Whatever that means. Honestly, I sometimes wonder if all these changes really stick or if they just like making announcements. Anyway — oh, wait, lost my train of thought — you get the idea.