Ubi Unveils 2009/10 Line Up News

Ubisoft has confirmed a raft of titles for the 2009/10 fiscal year, which runs from this April to the end of March 2010, including follow-ups to Ghost Recon, Assassin's Creed, and the long-awaited return of Splinter Cell.  News of the games came off the back of the publisher's latest financial results, which saw sales slightly higher than past forecasts of 500 million Euros.

Several of the publisher's big name titles in the fiscal third quarter (Oct-Dec 2008) enjoyed a strong showing at retail, including sales of 2.9 million units of Far Cry 2, 2.3 million units for Shaun White Snowboarding, and 1.5 million units for Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party.  The Prince of Persia reboot sold 2.2 million units globally, representing a slower up take than Ubisoft had anticipated.

Yves Guillemot said, “2009/10 looks very promising and our teams are working flat-out to provide gamers with the best the industry has to offer.  Our line-up comprises several potential blockbusters with the launch of 7 franchises, including Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon, as well as 4 license-based games including James Cameron's Avatar, 3 new brands and a further-enhanced casual games portfolio.  Although we have to be cautious in light of the current economic environment, we expect Ubisoft to once again be one of the most dynamic and profitable publishers in the games industry in 2009.”

In addition, the publisher announced a new title in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise (let's hope it's a vast improvement over the first one), a follow-up to Arthur and the Invisibles (presumed to be Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard), and a re-assigned 2009/10 release for I Am Alive.   A later conference call saw Guillemot let slip and confirm that a sequel to Wii launch title, Red Steel, is also on the way.