Console and PC games maker Ubisoft Reflections has seen increasing demand thanks to work with stablemate companies within its French parent group.
The Gosforth-based firm, which is part of one of the largest publishers in the industry, saw broadly flat sales at £56.4m in the year to the end of March 2022, compared with £55.9 in 2021. In newly published accounts at Companies House, Ubisoft talked of work on various titles - including some unannounced games - with its global Ubisoft Studios partners.
Renowned for its its work on the Tom Clancy series of games, the studio said sales of its Clancy brand titles had suffered due to there being no new releases during the year. Revenue based on those sales fell 8% to £33m, which had a knock-on effect on operating profits, dropping from £33.06m to £27.6m.
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Staff numbers rose past the 400 mark, with the majority of those roles classified as research and development. Ubisoft prides itself on acquiring and nurturing talent and said attracting the "finest" in the industry is one of the key factors determining its success.
Writing in the accounts, director Yves Guillemot said: "Ubisoft Reflections is involved in initiatives which promote the acquisition of the technical and digital skills which will be indispensable in tomorrow's job market, in particular by providing support to those most vulnerable, such as job-seekers, seniors, and those from rapidly changing urban areas. The Newcastle studio is continuing with its role as skills developer within the Dynamo North East group, which is supporting Newcastle's post-industrial transition to help the city become an emerging technological hub.
"This industrial initiative focused on the growth of the technology sector in North East England seeks to promote skills, education, and support research and development in the regions in the new technologies sector. Ubisoft also contributes to local economic development by calling on local companies to provide a wide variety of services to ensure its employees' occupational wellbeing."
Earlier this year it was revealed that Ubisoft has partnered with Netflix to produce several new titles for the streaming service's mobile platform. The firm will make three games expanding on the Valiant Hearts, Mighty Quest and Assassin's Creed franchises, which will be available exclusively on mobile to Netflix members around the world with no ads or in-app purchases.
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