Following reports of a 27.2% increase in sales for Q1 2012-13, Ubisoft confirmed a "medium term goal" looking to capitalize on the arrival of next-gen consoles, like the Wii U, and the growing free-to-play market.
"Our medium-term goal is to capitalize on both the arrival of the new generation of consoles and the ramp-up of the Free-to-Play segment, which represent two major opportunities for us to step up growth and enhance our profitability," Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot said in the first quarter 2012-13 financial sales report.
"Our capacity to create successful brands and high-quality content, allied with our ongoing progress in the item-based model, multi-screen gaming and the development of Uplay (our online services and distribution platform, which now boasts 35 million members) place us in an ideal position to leverage these two opportunities," he added.
With the Wii U set to arrive later this year, Ubisoft has already positioned itself to be the leading third party publisher for Nintendo's new console with games like Assassin's Creed 3, Killer Freaks from Outer Space, Raving Rabbids, Just Dance 4, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online – which also so happens to dabble in the free-to-play market.
And the developer/publisher hasn't been shy when it comes to the Wii U, having claimed it can have "great success" thanks to the new, innovative gameplay it offers with the GamePad controller.
Moving forward, Ubisoft has plans to release the beta of its free-to-play PC shooter, Ghost Recon Online in the second quarter. While their focus is on "delivering a great launch on PC", Ubisoft hasn't ruled out a release for the Wii U. Back June, a Ubisoft spokesperson said once the PC launch is on "solid ground", they will explore other platform options, like the Wii U.
And while the Wii U seems to be the primary next-generation console Ubisoft is focusing on, you can bet they will be right there when both Microsoft and Sony announce their new generation of consoles.
