Fy2010
Latest
Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue
This time last year, almost to the day, Microsoft saw its first annual sales decline in history. Things are looking much better now, with the company reporting a record $16.04 billion in revenue, a 22 percent year-over-year increase for its Q4 revenue ending June 30th. In fact, revenue is up across all divisions, with Windows and Windows Live seeing the biggest uptick (43.5 percent to $4.55 billion) followed by Entertainment and Devices (27.3 percent to $1.6 billion). Operating income, on the other hand, paints a different picture of E&D, showing a $172 million loss for this quarter (compared to $141 loss in Q4 last year), but looking over the entire fiscal year, the home of Xbox and Zune this year did $679 million in operating income -- a sizable jump to the $108 million from 2009. The overall operating income for the company is $5.93 billion this quarter (net income $4.52 billion), a 49 percent increase over last Q4, and $20.36 billion for the year (18 percent compared with fiscal 2009). We know you're interested in comparisons, so we'll just go ahead and break it down for ya: the gang in Redmond is still beating Apple in both revenue ($16.04 billion vs. $15.7 billion) and profit ($4.52 billion vs. $3.25), but that margin feels smaller than it used to. Enough to keep the rumored pressure off Ballmer? Frankly, we don't even think biplanes could knock the man off the top of a tower, but Windows Phone 7 has a lot to prove, and fast. Microsoft is hosting a webcast of its report later today -- usually much ado about nothing, as far as we're concerned, but we'll listen in and let ya know if anything interesting pops up. Update: Some interesting Xbox 360 statistics. 1.5 million consoles were sold this last quarter. Xbox Live has 25 million members, and for the first time since its inception, the revenue from the Marketplace exceeded subscription revenue.
Ubisoft reports $76.2 million operating loss in fiscal year 2009-10
Ubisoft today released its financial earnings report to investors for fiscal year 2009-10 (ending March 31), reporting sales of €871 million ($1.1 billion) with an operating loss of €60 million ($76.2 million). CEO Yves Guillemot softened investor reaction by saying: "The global economic crisis had a pronounced impact on the video game industry in 2009, which contracted by nearly 10 percent year-on-year. Ubisoft's sales were hit particularly hard, falling 18 percent over the full year despite a stabilization in the second half of the year." Ubi's Q4 sales were up 1.9 percent year-over-year to €210 million ($266.7 million), outpacing internal guidance by €10 million ($12.7 million). The company says the inflated numbers are due partially to "a strong increase in sales of Just Dance," the "ongoing exceptional performance delivered by Assassin's Creed 2 which sold-in nearly 9 million units during the year," and higher-than-expected sales of both Red Steel 2 and Avatar. And Guillemot predicts a sunnier 2010-11. "We forecast a return to profitable growth in 2010-11 with positive cash flow generation, driven by a games line-up that is more closely tailored to growth segments based on strong franchises." He also notes his excitement for new technology driving increased sales, saying, "Lastly, the upcoming launches of new consoles, including Natal and Sony Move, should enable us to capitalize on the technology investments that we have undertaken in recent years and re-energize the casual games segment." Source -- Ubisoft FY2009-10 Sales & Earnings Report (warning: PDF link)
Reminder: Apple 2nd quarter results due next week
Apple has released a media alert announcing its FY10 second quarter results conference call -- which we already knew was on 4/20, but it's nice that they've made it official, again. The conference call will take place on Tuesday at 2 pm PDT/5 pm EDT. Those interested can listen to the call starting at 2 pm by tuning into the webcast of the event. The quarterly results themselves will be announced shortly after the markets close in the US at 4 pm EDT. Apple had issued guidance of $2.06-$2.18 profit per share on $11-$11.4 billion of revenue. As usual, this is well below the $2.43 per share most analysts expect Apple to report. For those hoping to hear iPad numbers, don't hold your breath. Though the iPad was announced in January, it did not ship until April 3rd, which means its sales numbers will not factor into Apple's Q2 earnings. TUAW will have analysis of the earnings during the call in our regular quarterly earnings liveblog.
Disney Interactive to be more 'judicious' with HD games as losses abate
Though Disney's gaming division saw improved operating results during the company's first fiscal quarter of 2010 (which ended January 2) -- a loss of $10 million compared to a $45 million loss in Q1 the previous fiscal year -- CEO Robert Iger has maintained a prudent stance on upcoming projects. "Disney-branded games seem to perform better on the Wii and DS platforms," he noted during a recent investor call (via Computerworld). It seems Disney will continue to target non-Nintendo platforms, but with fewer shots and steadier aim. "While we'll continue to make high-end games, we'll be very judicious in how many we make and which ones we choose," Iger said. Iger is also likely to keep an eye on the performance of upcoming "high-end" titles like Tron Evolution and Black Rock Studios' Pure follow-up, Split/Second. And if neither of those work, you send in the spandex. "We have some interesting opportunities with Marvel," he said. "That's a brand we think would do extremely well on higher-end consoles." Source: ComputerWorld [via GamesIndustry.biz] Source: The Walt Disney Company Q1 results
Microsoft reports $6.66b Q1 net profit, Windows 7 'fastest selling OS in history'
Microsoft's gotta be pretty happy with its second quarter results, especially after two previous quarters of somewhat downtrodden reports. The company's posting a record $19.02 billion in revenue, a 14 percent increase year-over-year. Net income / profit was $6.66 billion. Buoyed by all that is $1.71 billion in deferred revenue for Windows 7 pre-sales, which in laymen's terms means money the company made before the fiscal quarter began but couldn't then claim it because the product (Windows 7) hadn't yet been delivered to the consumer. Speaking of the platform, Microsoft is claiming to now have "the fastest selling operating system in history" with 60 million licenses sold. A much better way for the gang in Redmond to the start the year, so now let's see how the rest of 2010 plays out.
