Based in large part on the outstanding performance of Assassin's Creed, French publisher Ubisoft today announced it's raising its sales outlook for 2007-08 to more than €840 million ($1.2 billion), with around €410 ($594.5) million for the third quarter, versus previous forecasts of €825 million ($1.2 million) and €330 ($478.5) million respectively. Ubisoft also credited "solid showings" from its other games, particularly its casual range.

As for Assassin's Creed, in just under four weeks the game on PS3 and Xbox 360 sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Ubisoft said that it "greatly outstripped" their sales expectations for the title, and the game "currently ranks among the top two or three best-selling games" for PS3 and Xbox 360 in the "vast majority of geographical regions." The publisher boasted that Assassin's is now "the fastest-selling new video game intellectual property ever in the U.S." Ubisoft is forecasting that the game will sell "a minimum" of five million units in 2007-08 – two million more than the company's previous estimate.

In addition to raising its sales outlook, Ubisoft also boosted its target for operating income to at least 12 percent of sales, compared with the previously announced forecast of at least 9 percent. The company stated, "This reflects the combined impact of the stellar performance turned in by Assassin's Creed and the ensuing major leverage effect on profitability, as well as lower-than-anticipated research and development costs due to the postponed release dates for Tom Clancy's End War, Brothers in Arms and Far Cry 2." Those games are scheduled for fiscal 2008-09 rather than the previous fourth quarter of 2007-08.

A very pleased Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft, commented: "With the exceptional performance of Assassin's Creed, the fastest-selling new video game intellectual property in the U.S. ever, Ubisoft's teams have once again demonstrated their expertise in creating and promoting major brands. These regular-sequel franchises are a source of very high profitability both in the short and long term. Drawing on its strong internal development capacities, Ubisoft is currently in an ideal position to continue to develop numerous new creations – an essential condition for winning market share and ensuring strong growth going forward."

Finally, moving forward Ubisoft also provided initial guidance for fiscal 2008-09. The company expects sales of approximately €975 million ($1.4 billion) and current operating income representing at least 11 percent of sales. The publisher said more details on its upcoming games portfolio will be provided along with sales figures for third quarter of 2007-08 on January 23, 2008.