Ubi Soft
Ubi Soft
Ubi Soft
REPORT
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CONTENTS
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2 COMMENTS ON THE UBISOFT ENTERTAINMENT SA FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED MARCH 31, 2013 ................ 55
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Management Report 2013
1.1.1 HISTORY
In a constantly evolving industry, the Group has built and is continuing to establish solid foundations
that allow it to anticipate the entertainment of the future.
1986: Creation of Ubisoft by the five Guillemot brothers.
1989-1995: International expansion
Ubisoft opens its first distribution subsidiaries in the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom
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and its first internal development studios in France and Romania. Launch in 1995 of Rayman ,
Ubisoft’s first major franchise.
1996-2001: Organic growth and strategic acquisitions
Flotation on the Paris stock exchange in 1996. Opening of new studios (Shanghai in 1996, Montreal in
1997, Morocco, Spain and Italy in 1998, Annecy and Montpellier in 1999). In 2000, acquisition of Red
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Storm Entertainment (Tom Clancy games); acquisition in 2001 of Blue Byte Software (The Settlers )
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and the video games division of The Learning Company (Myst and Prince of Persia ). This strategy
powered Ubisoft into the world’s top 10 independent publishers in 2001.
2002-2006: A strategy of developing owned brands
Ubisoft increases its market share in new territories. In 2006: Acquisition of the Driver® and Far Cry®
franchises; opening of a studio in Bulgaria.
2007-2013: A true creator and development of online gaming
Ubisoft builds on its reputation as a key player: the Group becomes the world’s third independent
publisher. 57 million copies of Assassin’s Creed® and 41 million copies of Just Dance® have been sold
to date.
Opening of a new studio in China (Chengdu) in 2007 and acquisition of a studio in Japan (Digital
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Kids). Acquisition of the Tom Clancy name for video games and ancillary products, and of the Anno
brand. Acquisition of four new studios: Action Pants (Vancouver, Canada), Southlogic (Porto Alegre,
Brazil), Massive Entertainment (Sweden) and Pune (India). In 2008, acquisition of Hybride, a studio
specializing in cinema special effects. In 2009, acquisition of the Nadéo studio and of the cult online
gaming brand TrackMania; agreement signed with the government of Ontario regarding the opening of
a studio in Toronto. In 2010, closure of the two Brazilian studios and acquisition of Quazal
Technologies, leader in the creation of online technology solutions. In 2011, acquisition of Owlient,
specializing in free-to-play games, and RedLynx, specializing in downloadable games. Closure of the
Vancouver studio in 2012. In 2013, acquisition of the THQ Montreal studio and partnership with
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Electronic Arts, Warner Bros and other developers for the distribution of their PC games on Uplay
Shop, Ubisoft’s online services and distribution platform.
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Management Report 2013
October/December 2012 – Ubisoft and New Regency announce their partnership for the future
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Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell films
Ubisoft will retain creative control over these projects.
January 2013 - Acquisition of the THQ Montreal studio and the rights to the game South Park:
The Stick of Truth
As a result of this acquisition, Ubisoft’s talents will be reinforced by very experienced teams at a key
moment in the cycle of the video game industry.
February 2013 – Far Cry 3 is the best reviewed shooter game of 2012, with performance
exceeding expectations.
With more than 4.5 million copies sold (sell-in and digital) at end-December 2012, Far Cry 3 marks the
return of the franchise as one of the key pillars of Ubisoft’s range for core gamers.
TM
February 2013: Presentation of Watch Dogs at the PS4 launch conference
Watch Dogs, Ubisoft’s new brand, was one of the flagship presentations at the PS4 launch
conference, and was one of the few games to be demonstrated live.
TM
July 2012: Record launch of Trials Evolution
Trials Evolution posted a record first day of sales when it was launched on XBLA.
December 2012: Rayman Jungle Run named best iPhone game of 2012
In its "App Store Best of 2012" list, Apple named Rayman Jungle Run as the best iPhone game of
2012.
February 2012: Arrival of EA, Warner Bros and Square Enix titles on Uplay Shop
Ubisoft's digital distribution service will also include blockbusters from other major developers.
Ubisoft’s PC games will also be available on Origin, EA's digital distribution service.
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Management Report 2013
Only those standards approved by the European Commission and published in its official journal prior
to March 31, 2013, and which have been mandatory since April 1, 2012, have been applied by the
Group to its consolidated financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2013. IAS 19 (revised)
which only becomes mandatory after March 31, 2013, has been applied early to the consolidated
financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2013.
The IFRS standards as adopted by the European Union differ in certain ways from the IFRS standards
published by the IASB. However, the Group has made sure that the financial information presented
would not have been substantively different if it had applied the IFRS standards as published by the
IASB.
The Group applied for the first time at April 1, 2012:
- IFRS 7 (amended) – Disclosures – Transfers of Financial Assets. The Group has provided a
detailed description of the risks linked to transferred financial assets in which it has continued
involvement;
- IAS 19 (revised) – Employee Benefits. The changes to this standard concern elimination of the
corridor approach, immediate recognition of past service costs through profit or loss and
compulsory recognition of actuarial gains and losses through other comprehensive income.
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Management Report 2013
- Payments for other intangible assets and property, plant and equipment (25,215) (26,204)
+ Proceeds from the disposal of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment 207 748
- Payments for the acquisition of financial assets (5,104) (6,298)
+ Refund of loans and other financial assets 4,761 7,584
+ Disposal of shares 10,729 13,701
+/- Changes in consolidation scope(1) (4,604) (17,971)
ADJUSTED CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES (19,226) (28,440)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period 86,326 122,034
Foreign exchange losses/gains 4,782 7,789
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period* 129,507 86,325
This cash flow statement differs from the cash flow statement required by IFRS standards mainly due
to the reclassification of internal and external developments in cash flows from operations.
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Management Report 2013
At current rates, revenue was up 18% in the financial year 2012/2013 and up 14% at constant
exchange rates. Sales were boosted by the strong growth in titles for core gamers, up 60% to €928
million, and online/digital revenue, up 86% to €148 million.
The Development activity benefited this year from the success of the games Assassin's Creed, Far
Cry, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon and Just Dance.
Development 60 51 56
67
Internal production 42 34 37
27
Co-production 18 17 19
40
Publishing 7 11 10
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Distribution 6 9 12
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TOTAL 73 71 78 89
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Management Report 2013
The number of games launched over the year stabilized, with the increase in the number of online and
mobile titles offsetting the reduction in physical games.
2012/2013 2011/2012
Nintendo DS™ 1% 2%
Nintendo 3 DS™ 1% 2%
PC 9% 7%
PlayStation ®3 30% 22%
PSP™ 0% 1%
Wii™ 16% 33%
XBOX 360™ 34% 29%
PS VITA 2% 1%
Wii U ™ 4%
Other 4% 3%
TOTAL 100% 100%
As the market for the WiiTM continued to decline sharply in 2012, the Company posted a significant
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decrease on this platform. The share for the Xbox360 and the PLAYSTATION 3 grew considerably
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due to the success of Assassin's Creed, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Far Cry.
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Management Report 2013
Non-IFRS operating profit totaled €100.3 million, compared with €56.0 million in 2011/2012. Non-IFRS
operating profit is higher than the target range announced a year earlier (between €70 million and €90
million) and at the higher end of the target range recently revised upward (between €90 million and
€100 million).
Non-IFRS net profit totaled €69.2 million, corresponding to non-IFRS earnings per share (diluted) of
€0.71, compared with a non-IFRS net profit of €37.4 million in 2011/2012, i.e. €0.39 per share.
IFRS net profit totaled €64.8 million, corresponding to IFRS earnings per share (diluted) of €0.67,
compared with IFRS net profit of €37.3 million in 2011/2012, i.e. €0.39 per share.
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Management Report 2013
The cash position at March 31, 2013 stood at €104.5 million, compared with €84.6 million at March 31,
2012. This change is mainly attributable to:
The Company does not use securitization agreements, Daily assignment agreements, sale and
repurchase agreements with the exception of one-off operations, depending on market opportunities
or factoring regarding the Canadian Credit Multimedia shares (September 2012 and March 2013).
However, the Company does use invoice discounting and receivables factoring in Germany, the
United Kingdom and occasionally the United States.
Factors commitment as at year end is as follows:
Over the year, the Company financed its peak cash requirements using confirmed credit facilities of
€259.5 million, including a syndicated loan of €214.5 million maturing in 2017 and as well as €45
million in bilateral credit lines within one year.
The Group issued bonds for €20 million in December 2012, then €40 million in May 2013, and signed
a bilateral credit line of €35 million in April 2013; therefore with the syndicated loan, the Group has
access to €310 million, with a maturity of four years or more.
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Management Report 2013
The video game business line calls for investments in development of around 35% of revenue. This
capital expenditure takes place over average periods of between 24 and 36 months, which publishers
must be able to finance out of their own resources. Furthermore, publishers are required to launch
new releases on a regular basis, and their level of success cannot be guaranteed.
For these reasons, significant capitalization is essential to guarantee the continuous financing of
capital expenditure and to deal with contingencies stemming from the success or failure of a particular
title without endangering the future of the Company.
With equity of €838 million, up €75 million, Ubisoft easily finances its capital investments in games,
which amount to €375 million.
Accordingly, in the financial year 2012/2013, the Company’s net cash varied between €85 million and
€105 million, with debt peaking from October to December.
In 2012/2013, most of the financing used came from a syndicated loan of €214.5 million signed in July
2012 (maturing in July 2017), bilateral credit lines of €45 million (maturing in April and September
2013) and a loan of €3 million (maturing in September 2019); in addition, in December 2012 the
Company placed a bond loan of €20 million (maturing in December 2018).
The average cost of borrowing was around 2% for the financial year 2012/2013.
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Management Report 2013
The covenants with which the Company must comply regarding the syndicated loan and those of the
bond loan and bilateral credit lines are as follows:
2012/2013
For the financial year 2013/2014, and unless the Company makes a major acquisition, Ubisoft should
be able to finance its operations from cash and the lines at its disposal, including €310 million in lines
of credit of four years or more (including €214.5 million from the Syndicated Loan signed in 2012, the
€20 million in bonds issued in December 2012, the bilateral credit line of €35 million signed on April
30, 2012 and the €40 million in bonds issued on May 2, 2013).
Ubisoft has an equity line, an equity financing mechanism, set up on March 20, 2012, to boost its
acquisition capacity. For information purposes, based on the price at the reporting date, the equity
contribution that is likely to be made via this equity line could reach around €80 million.
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Management Report 2013
The reporting covers the period from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 for all employee-related,
environmental and social themes.
For many CSR indicators, no information is available for previous periods as this is the first year in
which they have been implemented.
Employee-related reporting concerns all of the Group’s subsidiaries, with the exception of the
Canadian subsidiary “Hybrid”, which is not currently integrated in the Group’s human resources scope
of reporting.
Environmental and social reporting is based on a questionnaire covering all of the Group’s
subsidiaries.
However, some indicators are only available for a limited scope. In these cases, the scope covered is
always indicated, giving the sites concerned and their representativeness as a percentage of the
Group's average headcount.
The Group’s Administration Department is responsible for steering and coordinating CSR reporting
and has drawn up a reporting protocol. This protocol:
- Defines a list of quantitative and qualitative indicators and their correspondence to the GRI
framework;
- Specifies the definitions of indicators so that they are uniform for the whole Group and
leave no room for interpretation;
- Specifies the rules for collecting and calculating indicators.
This reporting protocol is used as a reference by the Human Resources Department and the
International Communication Department, which are respectively responsible for employee-related
reporting and environmental and social reporting.
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Management Report 2013
These departments are responsible for telling their local representatives or contacts what information
they are required to collect.
The procedure in place aims to ensure that the information collected is available, uniform and
documented.
Employee-related and environmental/social data are transmitted by the Group’s entities respectively to
the Group Human Resources Department and the International Communication Department, which
consolidate and ensure consistency.
Once the data have been consolidated and the CSR reporting has been prepared, the Administration
Department intervenes in the data-validation process by conducting consistency checks to guarantee
the accuracy of the data published and by ensuring compliance with the reporting protocol.
The definition of staff has been expanded compared with previous years to include games
testers. These people, who are present in the Group for over six months on average, are
monitored by Human Resources in the same way as the Group’s other employees.
Staff are defined as all employees registered at the end of the period, regardless of the type of
employment (full- or part-time), with an open-ended or fixed-term contract. Casual workers,
seasonal workers, freelancers, the self-employed, interns, those on work-study contracts, sub-
contractors and temporary workers are not included.
Employee-related data for the previous year have been reconstructed according to this new
definition so that this indicator can be monitored over time.
The male-female pay ratio is calculated for fields in which both men and women are
represented, i.e. 80% of Group employees. It is determined based on the male/female ratio for
each level of responsibility at each subsidiary, weighted by the corresponding headcount.
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Management Report 2013
Environmental reporting does not include any data relating to the environmental footprint of
the Group's main suppliers (manufacturers of games, ancillary products, etc.), as the Group
does not have this information at present.
As a rule, the Group considers that paper purchased in the year is consumed during the year.
1.4.2.1 EMPLOYMENT
1.4.2.1.1 General change in Group headcount
Attracting, developing and retaining the finest talent in the industry is one of the key factors
determining Ubisoft’s success. The Company is committed to providing the resources that our teams
need in order to progress, learn and develop their skills and expertise. This enables us to create the
best games of the future, today. Ubisoft has a large internal creative force (with 6,992 employees in
game development) which gives it a genuine competitive advantage.
Ubisoft has a significant impact on the development of local employment. It is a longstanding company
and creator of jobs. Its staff numbers have increased year on year and it has become a top-rated
employer. This trend responds to the Company’s need to gather the skills and teams necessary to
develop its economic activity and achieve the strategic targets it sets.
In 2012/2013, the headcount increased by 993 employees, i.e. almost 14%, to support the Group’s
development. Specifically, this increase includes the team at the THQ Montreal studio (153
employees), which the Group acquired during the year, 621 additional employees at the Montreal site,
113 at the Toronto site and 78 new positions in China (Shanghai).
The breakdown of staff by employment type and contract type remains virtually unchanged over the
period.
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Management Report 2013
(1) The teams of the subsidiary Hybrid are not currently included in the scope of reporting of the Group HR Department.
Ubisoft is a growing company which manages a high volume of recruitments each year. 82% of
recruitments relate to Production.
03/31/13 03/31/12
Total number of external hires 2,114 2,014
Redundancies/Dismissals 108 163
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Management Report 2013
The diverse range of profiles within Ubisoft provides the creativity and innovation the Company needs
to stay at the forefront of innovation and technology. Diversity is at the heart of video game production.
The process of creating a video game involves a high level of cooperation among teams with different
backgrounds and training. Cultural diversity, gender mix and age diversity are a source of creativity
and help teams to improve their understanding of consumers’ expectations and respond to their needs
throughout the world.
Of the 8,268 employees, 21% are women and 79% are men. This breakdown is attributable to the fact
that 85% of Group staff (See 1.4.2.1.1) are in Ubisoft's core business, video game production, which
primarily attracts men. Women hold 39% of the business-related positions (marketing, sales, etc.)
within the Group and represent 27% of top management employees.
The situation is evolving gradually, with more and more women gaming, which translates into an
increase in the rate of female hires (25% at end-March 2013 compared with 19% at end-March 2012)
and therefore an automatic increase in the female employment rate.
Men and women are given the same level of access to training and skill development.
The male-female pay ratio, at an equivalent contribution level, is 102% for teams with a full-time, open-
ended or fixed-term, contract within the Group.
03/31/13 03/31/12
Breakdown of men/women in total headcount
Women Men Women Men
03/31/13 03/31/12
Training
Women Men Women Men
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Management Report 2013
Ubisoft has an active policy of supporting young people during their initial training or as a complement
to this. The number of interns taken on each year is on the increase. In 2012/2013, 193 interns
completed an enriching professional experience at an Ubisoft entity, compared with 157 during the
previous year. These internships are truly educational and act as a springboard for joining the Group.
In the year ended March 31, 2013, 29% of interns were offered a job with Ubisoft.
The average age at the company is 33; this reflects the fact that the video game industry is barely 30
years old. All ages are represented in the Company’s staff, with 87.5% of the population in the 25-45
age bracket.
The low representation of higher age brackets is due to the Group’s recent creation, in 1986.
Ubisoft is present on all continents. With 86 different nationalities, Ubisoft cultivates the cultural mix
required for a good understanding of the gamer and improved adaptation of games to cultural
differences.
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Management Report 2013
The employment rate of disabled persons within the Group is 0.25%. 61% of employees work at sites
with disabled access.
In order to encourage the employment of disabled persons, the French sites are developing
partnerships with ESATs (organizations which support disabled people in finding work) for supply
contracts.
A review will be conducted to encourage the employment of disabled persons in the future, in the
absence of specific information currently available.
Ubisoft recruits talents who are passionate and have the technical skills and expertise essential to the
specific characteristics of the video game industry. Responsibility, initiative and innovation are the
skills sought.
Average duration of training (in hours) per employee trained 23.3 22.4
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Management Report 2013
In a sector where continuous innovation, staying on top of technological advances and developing
expertise are key, naturally, all forms of training are a top priority. In recent years, the sector has seen
a significant evolution in online gaming. Ubisoft is training its teams to work on online games and
several of our production studios have since specialized in this type of game so that the Company is in
a position to provide gamers with innovative new experiences across the range of online platforms.
Furthermore, the development of several games for a new generation of consoles (Wii U™ from
Nintendo, XBOX One from Microsoft, PS4 from Sony) gives our teams the opportunity to master the
most advanced technologies on the market today. Video gaming is a relatively new business
compared to other entertainment industries, and adapted training courses are provided, for the most
part, within the Group, complementing on-the-job training.
As a true entertainment Company, Ubisoft is also developing its teams in new areas including comic
books, book publishing, toys and figurines of our characters, films and TV series. Links between
Ubisoft and related industries (music, film, television, publishing, etc.) are being developed and
exchanges with experts in these industries are encouraged.
For a number of years now, Ubisoft has endeavored to develop its employees by setting up specific
training courses which are created in-house and focused on technical fields linked to the video game
industry. These courses can be given on-site by the subsidiary or internationally, at the Ubisoft
Academies, which provide high-level training. In 2012/2013, 147 employees benefited from these
courses, which make it possible to develop the key skills of employees in line with operational
requirements. They are also opportunities for employees from different studios to share and discuss
their ideas and experiences.
Training expenditure accounted for 1% of payroll at end-March 2013: 4,134 employees took a course,
i.e. 52.5% of the Group's average headcount.
Ubisoft also encourages personal learning and has an e-learning policy tailored to the specific features
of business lines in the video game industry: 86 e-learning modules are accessible to all Ubisoft
salaries via a Group training portal to ensure their continual development.
Employees who have been with the Group for more than a year receive an annual appraisal, i.e. 77%
of employees in 2012/2013. The annual appraisal is an important moment in the year for each
employee. It is an opportunity to take stock of performance and the skills developed over the past
year, and also makes it possible to prepare the year ahead in terms of targets and an individual
development plan.
The Group currently offers numerous possibilities for advancement within specific fields and other
areas. The professional promotion rate is 14.92% for 2012/2013. Numerous international visits take
place each year. Over the last 12 months, 204 visits took place. These visits develop multicultural
exchanges and contribute to collaborative work.
Collaboration is strongly encouraged at all levels within the Company, giving rise to a broad range of
actions and initiatives. For example, the Ubisoft Developers Conference convenes in Montreal once a
year, bringing together Ubisoft developers from around the world. Presentations, round tables and
workshops are organized to discuss the technological advances made by our production teams. Open
forums and business-specific databases continue to be developed and structured. Their goal is to
facilitate collaboration, organization and the sharing of key information related to teams, projects,
business lines, sites, etc.
The use of technologies or applications that facilitate exchanges, such as instant messaging, web
conferencing and the use of video as a communication medium, is encouraged.
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Management Report 2013
The corporate social network makes it possible to centralize and optimize numerous internal
communication tools, facilitates access to an extensive amount of information, develops collaboration
and meets employees’ needs in terms of information-sharing.
Ubisoft’s compensation policy aims to recognize skills, stimulate creativity, encourage employees’
performance and keep hold of talents.
Annual salary increases are dependent on the individual, the level of performance they have achieved
and the skill they display in their position. Close attention is paid to ensuring that the compensation
policy is in line with market practices.
Compensation consists of a fixed portion and a variable portion. These differ according to the business
line in order to reward individual and collective performance:
- Production teams receive a bonus calculated according to both the profitability of the game on
which they worked and their individual contribution;
- Business teams receive a bonus calculated on the basis of achieving results that are set at the
beginning of the year;
- Support teams receive a bonus according to a target based on both qualitative and
quantitative factors, which serve to evaluate their individual performance.
Employee share ownership is another excellent way for Ubisoft to let employees participate in the
Company’s success. Capital increases reserved for employees and/or bonus share grants regularly
take place. For example, in France, a capital increase as part of the Group savings plan (PEG) took
place during the year, with a 15% discount on the share price. At end-March 2013, total registered
shares held by employees or indirectly through an FCPE (Company mutual fund) amounted to 1.43%
of the capital.
Medium-term compensation is also granted to the best performing employees in order to ensure
loyalty; this takes the form of stock option or bonus share grants. All plans combined, as at end-March
2013, 20.6% of the Group’s employees received such options.
In addition to these elements, certain programs may be added in order to remain competitive in
relation to local practices, for example in France, where a profit-sharing system was implemented in
2012.
The elements relating to employee benefits expense are presented in more detail in the financial
statements (See 1.6.8, Note 21 “Employee benefits expense”).
1.4.2.4 WELL-BEING
Ubisoft strives to offer its employees a pleasant, open and friendly working environment.
Ubisoft is a company that makes the well-being of its teams one of the pillars of its global strategy. We
know that the work environment and its organization play a fundamental role in ensuring team morale.
This is why Ubisoft has created a friendly and welcoming environment in all of its subsidiaries and
studios.
In that sense, an internal survey is carried out every two years to measure employee satisfaction and
consult all employees on major company issues (in terms of strategy, HR policy and work
environment).
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Management Report 2013
In the last survey, conducted in 2011, with a participation rate of 74%, 95% of employees said that
they were satisfied with the Company's friendly work environment. Group policy, within the framework
of local legislation, allows employees throughout the world to benefit from flexible hours or part-time
contracts (See 1.4.2.1.1).
Ubisoft also vows to prioritize smaller structures wherever possible (80% of sites have fewer than 200
employees), with open-plan offices encouraging collaborative working and facilitating communication,
where managers are available to their teams and HR managers are in close contact with daily
operations. In the last internal survey, more than 92.2% of employees said that they were happy with
the level of contact with their managers. Despite its ever increasing size, Ubisoft has always sought to
cultivate and preserve this friendly, open and outward-looking atmosphere.
There are many local initiatives aimed at facilitating the daily working lives of our employees. The
studio in Montreal, for example, which represents almost one third of the Group’s staff, has a well-
being clinic for all employees and their families, which is open five days a week. Ubisoft Montreal has
also been certified a “Healthy Enterprise” by the Bureau de normalisation du Québec since 2010. This
standard aims to ensure the continuous improvement of practices that focus on health and well-being
at work at Ubisoft Montreal.
Ubisoft encourages corporate events, with convivial annual parties, concerts and internal competitions
organized at each subsidiary. 87% of Ubisoft employees have access to a relaxation space and/or
gym.
1.4.2.4.2 Absenteeism
Dialogue between management and labor is led by employee representatives in the countries where
this is provided for by legislation. The subsidiaries in Scandinavia, Romania, the United Kingdom,
China and France have employee representatives who meet monthly, half-yearly or annually,
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Management Report 2013
depending on the legal framework. In 2012/2013, 38% of Group employees had employee
representatives (compared with 34% in 2011/2012).
In France, members of the Works Councils and employee representatives meet with HR every month
to discuss the Company’s operations, evolutions and directions. Collective agreements to connect the
teams to the Company’s results (profit-sharing) were set up in collaboration with the Works Councils in
2012/2013.
In addition, the employee satisfaction survey and corporate social network contribute to dialogue
within the Company, at all levels. The corporate social network is a platform accessible to all
employees which encourages the exchange of information and provides a space for commenting on a
variety of issues, such as new developments in the video game industry or sharing good practices.
Breakdown by subject:
Compensation 14 9
Dialogue between management and labor 1 1
Health and safety 5 4
Disability 1 1
Other subjects 1 1
(1) For this indicator, each agreement or amendment signed is counted individually
(2) These agreements concern France and Romania, i.e. 25% of the Group’s staff
Ubisoft is attentive to its employees’ health, which is why 87% of employees benefit from additional
private health care systems. Similarly, the Montreal studio has a well-being clinic for all employees and
their families (See 1.4.2.4.1).
In addition, Ubisoft continues to raise awareness among its employees of health and safety issues. As
such, 127 people received training during the year (See 1.4.2.3).
At end-March 2013, the Group recorded a drop in the frequency rate and severity rate of occupational
accidents with time off.
Health and safety in the workplace 03/31/13 03/31/12
Number of occupational accidents with time off (1) 11 11
Number of fatal accidents 1
Frequency rate of occupational accidents with time off (2) 6.2 6.9
Severity rate of occupational accidents with time off (3) 0.16 0.19
Number of occupational illnesses (4) 8 8
(1) Occupational accident = Fatal and non-fatal accidents occurring during or due to work
(2) = (Number of occupational accidents with time off/(average annual headcount * theoretical number of annual hours
worked)) x 1,000,000
(3) = (Number of days lost per occupational accident/(average annual headcount * theoretical number of annual hours
worked)) x 1,000
(4) Occupational illness recognized according to applicable local legislation
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Management Report 2013
1.4.2.5.1 Respect for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
Ubisoft respects freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining (See 1.4.2.4.3)
Employees in France benefit from the Syntec collective agreement, which regulates the working
conditions of employees and the related social-security regimes.
To make the best games on the market, Ubisoft must gather the most talented employees from
different backgrounds and profiles. For this reason, the Group’s Human Resources policy strives to
recruit varied profiles and thereby combat discrimination, in all its forms.
1.4.2.5.3 Abolition of forced or compulsory labor and effective abolition of child labor
No indicators have been included in this report regarding the promotion of and compliance with the
provisions of the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization relating to the
abolition of forced or compulsory labor and the effective abolition of child labor. Given the nature of its
business (intellectual services), the Group does not consider itself affected by this.
Data on the Group’s environmental impact solely covers its direct video game production and
publishing activities. Since the Company does not manufacture the video games it publishes and
distributes (and associated ancillary products), it does not have a significant direct impact on the
environment.
The Group nonetheless takes the issues of respect for and protection of the environment very
seriously.
An internal survey is carried out every year at the sites to evaluate environmental policies, programs
and indicators. The data are then consolidated at Group level and compared with the data from
previous years in order to identify good practices within the Group and find areas for improvement.
Currently, each subsidiary manages its own actions in accordance with the country’s regulations and
depending on the wishes and involvement of its staff.
However, the Group has recently appointed someone at Head Office to draw up a plan for the review
of sponsorship and the environment at Group level in 2013/2014.
This review plan will be structured around four main themes, the targets for which are still be set:
1) Measuring and identifying areas for improvement with regard to sustainable use of
resources
2) Measuring and identifying areas for improvement with regard to waste management
26
Management Report 2013
3) Measuring and identifying areas for improvement with regard to climate change
(greenhouse gas emissions)
4) Raising awareness of environmental issues among Group staff and the general public
The Group does not have an information and training program at the Group level for environmental
issues. However, this approach is one of the areas for development considered in the 2013/2014
review plan (See 1.4.3.1.1).
At present, employee information and training is organized locally by the sites. At end-March 2013,
1
there were 13 employees in charge of environmental management at the seven sites . During the
2
year, three sites also decided to train a total of seven employees in environmental protection.
In addition, five information campaigns were conducted in 2012/2013 at Ubisoft sites, raising
awareness of environmental issues among more than 550 employees.
For example, the RedLynx (Helsinki) studio conducted several email campaigns, reminding employees
to switch off their computers and lights in communal areas.
Shanghai put up posters in meeting rooms encouraging employees to save energy. Communications
are stepped up before holiday periods to encourage employees to switch off their IT equipment.
Lastly, Sofia added an environment section to the documentation given to new arrivals, in order to
make them aware of environmental issues and, specifically, the recycling process in place in the
studio.
In addition, a total of 11 e-learning modules on the theme of the environment have been implemented
in the Pune and Toronto studios.
3
The Montreal and Malmö (Sweden) sites have set up Environment Committees to raise awareness
locally among the teams, recommend concrete actions encouraging the preservation of and respect
for the environment, and assess progress made.
In 2012/2013, the Montreal Environment Committee set up composting at the studio, encouraged
active transport by offering workshops in bicycle maintenance to its employees, and distributed plants
throughout its offices as part of Earth Day. The Committee is currently working on a sustainable
development policy for the studio which will define the actions to be implemented over the coming
years.
The Environment Committee at Massive (Malmö) set up recycling of plastic and metal (mainly cans),
replaced incandescent bulbs with energy-saving bulbs and instituted information campaigns to
encourage employees to switch off their PCs.
1
Representing 37.9% of Group staff.
2
Representing 17.9% of Group staff.
3
Together representing 29.7% of Group staff.
27
Management Report 2013
The Group’s own activities do not present any significant industrial and environmental risks since the
Company does not manufacture the video games it publishes and distributes (and associated ancillary
products).
Nevertheless, the Company remains alert to regulatory changes in countries where it is present.
The Group’s main expenses and actions relating to environmental protection are presented in greater
detail in the "Pollution and waste management" and "Sustainable use of resources" sections of this
report.
Ubisoft did not record any provision, purchase any insurance to cover potential environmental risks, or
pay any compensation in this regard during the financial year.
Since the Company does not manufacture the video games it publishes and distributes (and
associated ancillary products), the risk of releases into the air, water or soil issued directly by the
Group and seriously harming the environment appears to be non-existent.
In fact:
- Waste issued by the Group is not classed as hazardous according to applicable legislation;
5
- The Company is not concerned by accidental spills , given its activity;
- Water is only used for domestic purposes.
The Group has identified four categories of waste linked to its activity:
- Paper;
- Computer hardware;
- Products which cannot be sold on distribution platforms (marketing, promotional, etc. items);
- Other consumables (batteries, ink cartridges, green waste, etc.).
The majority of the Group’s waste is sent to landfill or recycled.
4
“An environmental risk refers to the possibility of occurrence of incidents or accidents generated by a company’s
activity and which may have significant and harmful repercussions on the environment. The environmental risk is
assessed taking into consideration the probability of occurrence of an event (risk) and the level of danger.”
5
In accordance with the GRI definition: “Accidental release of a hazardous substance that can affect human health,
land, vegetation, water bodies, and ground water.”
28
Management Report 2013
6
Paper: most of the sites recycle used paper (21 sites in 2012/2013).
Used computer hardware and electrical and electronic equipment: Ubisoft actively recycles this.
Except in a few countries where services of this kind are not available (Morocco), the sites manage
the disposal of their computer equipment by calling on external service providers, specialist
organizations or companies.
7
During the year, twelve sites had their computer equipment recycled by companies specializing in
the dismantling of such equipment and for which a recovery, disassembly and recycling contract
has been signed. These activities, involving the processing of electrical and electronic waste and
the cleanup of monitors, are carried out in compliance with the applicable laws and standards.
In some cases, equipment disposed of by the Group is reused by schools or charities that may be
chosen by local authorities. IT equipment that has reached the end of its life is sometimes sold
directly to employees (whereby the proceeds are given directly to charities or schools).
Products which cannot be sold: sites are directly responsible for scrapping at distribution platforms.
This is organized by suppliers or sites' warehouse managers. The various destruction tasks
(grinding or compacting) are carried out under the supervision of official bodies and are outsourced
to external companies to be burnt, buried or recycled.
8
Other consumables: most sites (23 sites counted in 2012/2013) have collection points for recycling
and sorting waste. These collection points are generally situated in communal areas (kitchens,
cafeterias, etc.) or at the entrance to each floor.
More specifically:
9
- Six sites reuse ink cartridges by refilling them several times. Otherwise, any ink cartridges
that are not reused are systematically recycled or returned to the supplier for recycling,
except in Mexico and China (Shanghai) where they are thrown out;
10
- 18 sites collect and recycle their batteries at collection points located at strategic points on
the premises (reception, the entrance to each floor, etc.).
The sites conducted several initiatives during the year to reduce the waste they produce. For
example, the Red Storm Inc. studio (Cary, United States) has completely eliminated disposable
cups for coffee machines and has distributed mugs to its employers and visitors.
Lastly, the Group’s sites have declared that they do not produce any waste classed as hazardous by
applicable local legislation.
6
Representing 77% of Group staff.
7
Representing 62% of Group staff.
8
Representing 73.3% of Group staff.
9
Representing 35.6% of Group staff.
10
Representing 49.3% of Group staff.
29
Management Report 2013
Given the Group’s activity, it only uses water for domestic purposes (cleaning, toilets, kitchens, etc.).
Although Ubisoft’s water consumption is low, the Group intends to monitor this indicator to measure
the impact of the good practices implemented at its sites and information campaigns conducted
internally.
11 3
In 2012/2013, the Group measured consumption of 15,581 m , which breaks down as follows:
OTHER
UNITED
CHINA ROMANIA UKRAINE SINGAPORE COUNTRIE
STATES
S
Consumption in m3 in
5,386.4 4,123.4 858 381.1 318.4 765.3
2012/2013
3
Ratio of m /person per year 11.8 8.3 1.1 5.7 1.3 1.3
To reduce their consumption, many sites are using low-consumption taps or taps with automatic shut-
off and low-consumption toilets, such as Italy, Germany, Sweden, Romania, the United Kingdom,
Australia, the United States (Red Storm Inc. – Cary, NC), Mexico, Canada (Montreal), Poland and
China (Shanghai). Some sites have also implemented simple measures to encourage employees to
limit their water consumption; for example, in India, notices have been placed next to each water
outlet.
In addition, as water is supplied directly by local water distribution networks, the Group therefore
complies with applicable national regulations regarding supply.
At present, of the consumable purchases listed by the Group, only paper consumption is significant.
All sites are made aware of the ecological impact of paper consumption; they take advantage of
municipal or government programs to recycle their paper through waste sorting at their premises or
collection areas, such as those in Germany, Australia, Korea, Italy, Switzerland and the United
Kingdom. Many sites use outside specialists, including Canada, the United States and France.
Representativeness of
Number of sites concerned
Waste issued (in kg) sites concerned as a
*
percentage of Group staff
12
This consumption represents approximately 11.3 kg of paper per employee per year .
13
In 2012/2013, 24 sites prioritized consumption of recycled paper.
11
Data for 15 sites, representing 29.3% of Group staff. The scope for this indicator is limited because the majority of
sites did not have precise information at the reporting date since their water consumption is included in the rental
expenses managed by their lessors. It should be noted that the consumption indicated does not include water bottles
for water coolers.
12
Calculated based on 24 sites representing 34.5% of Group staff.
13
Representing 84% of Group staff.
30
Management Report 2013
In order to reduce their paper consumption, ten sites have opted for a paperless pay slip management
policy. This is the case in France, Italy (Milan), Sweden (Malmö), the United States (Red Storm Inc. -
Cary, San Francisco), Canada (Montreal, Quebec), India (Pune), Singapore and Australia.
In total, Ubisoft saved 99,554 sheets per year. The Group sites which use external service providers
for payroll management favor partners who offer paperless solutions, as is the case at the Buccinasco
(Italy) site.
14
In addition, to date 13 sites have set office printers to print double-sided by default.
The Sofia studio, which is implementing this for the first year, estimates that its paper consumption will
be reduced by 30% over the next year.
The Tokyo subsidiary has launched an internal email campaign to encourage employees to reduce
their paper consumption.
Ubisoft only measures electricity as an energy source in its annual survey, as other energy sources
are negligible compared to electricity.
At end-March 2013, electricity consumption totaled 24.3 million kWh, compared with 22.9 million kWh
at end-March 2012, i.e. an increase of 6.1% compared with the previous year. This increase is
explained by the combined effects of:
- The extension of the scope for collecting data (30 sites, representing 82.7% of staff at end-
March 2013, compared with 28 sites representing 70.7% of staff at end-March 2012). At
constant scope over the two years, the overall increase was 3.1%;
- The increase in consumption of the main countries (Canada, Romania and China) due to the
increase in staff and/or the addition of new data servers.
15
The countries with the highest electricity consumption in the Group were :
UNITED OTHER
CANADA16 FRANCE ROMANIA CHINA
STATES COUNTRIES
Consumption in
thousands of kWh in 12,580 3,929 1, 806 1,666 1,196 3,123
2012/2013
Consumption in
thousands of kWh in 11,756 3,999 1,715 1,522 1,339
2,555
2011/2012
Change by country + 7% (1.8)% +5.3% + 9.5% ( 10.7)% + 22.2%
Change in headcount
between 2011/2012 and +16.4% (1.2)% +21% +3.6% (1.7)% +5.6%
2012/2013
The countries with high consumption, such as China, Canada, Romania and France, have data
servers which use large amounts of electricity.
Some of the electricity used by the Ubisoft Group comes from renewable energies, which contributes
to limiting its environmental impact. The Montreal and Quebec studios, which account for 30.6% of
total Ubisoft staff, have formed a partnership with the electricity supplier Hydro-Québec, 98% of whose
production comes from hydroelectric dams. The Japanese subsidiary (Tokyo) also receives 13.5% of
its supply from hydroelectricity.
14
Representing 49.5% of Group staff.
15
The five regions mentioned above represent 69.9% of Group staff.
16
Data for the Montreal and Toronto sites (excluding Quebec).
31
Management Report 2013
In 2012/2013, the Group continued to list and encourage measures to reduce overall energy
consumption:
17
19 sites use energy-saving bulbs.
Many sites have already introduced good practices to limit consumption of air-conditioning and heating
systems that are mostly shut down at weekends (server rooms being an exception). In 2012 the
American subsidiary in San Francisco installed a new, low-consumption air-conditioning system which
should significantly reduce its energy consumption (the results will be assessed for 2013/2014).
In 2012, the sites in Osaka (Japan) and Milan (Italy) installed solar films on the windows of their offices
to improve insulation and therefore reduce energy consumption.
Some studios intend to make a formal commitment to reduce their energy consumption during the next
year. In particular, Kiev (Ukraine) will be assisted by an electrician to audit the studio and define an
18
action plan to reduce consumption. The Paris sites are currently examining the possibility of
implementing a Building Management Systems (BMS) for lighting with a programmed timer, and of
having a separate meter for each zone to optimize consumption monitoring.
The sites actively communicate locally to inform employees and encourage them to make energy
savings. The main sites concerned are Japan, Canada (Montreal and Toronto), France, Romania and
Bulgaria.
In addition to email campaigns, the Abu Dhabi subsidiary has produced pamphlets to explain good
energy practices in communal areas.
The Group has a limited impact in relation to land use due to the vertical installation of its sites, which
are mainly located in urban areas.
To date, neither the Group nor the sites have put in place procedures to reduce their carbon footprint
or measure their greenhouse gas emissions, but this issue will be tackled at Group level in the review
of environmental and sponsorship issues to take place during 2013/2014 and in the ensuing action
plan. However, the Group’s own carbon footprint should be low due to the nature of its business
activity.
The Group and the sites do not currently hold data on the carbon footprints of their main suppliers
(supply chain) and external data centers. The Group intends to integrate these data in the coming
years.
Currently, Group policy seeks to limit the environmental impact of business trips, one of the main
sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
17
Representing 68% of Group staff.
18
Representing 15.9% of Group staff.
32
Management Report 2013
Due to the Group’s international scale, employees frequently have to travel to other sites. As a
consequence, the Group seeks to minimize the consequences of travel wherever possible.
In 2012/2013, the number of trips totaled 11,951, which breaks down as follows:
Plane 7,905
Train 2,792
20
Other 278
The vast majority of sites have travel policies which encourage employees to prioritize the most
environmentally-friendly method of transport. For example, the train is the preferred method of
transport in France, and the Travel Department recommends direct flights for the rest of the world.
Some sites already have a car-pooling system (Abu Dhabi, Red Storm (Cary, NC)) and others are
considering it for the future (Montreal).
Most sites have also implemented a specific policy of reducing business travel, such as in China
(Chengdu), Ukraine, Sweden, Italy, Canada (Montreal), the United Kingdom (Newcastle), France, the
United States (San Francisco) and Australia. The vast majority of Group sites have rooms equipped
with video/audio-conferencing equipment (19 sites, representing 73.1% of total staff).
The Group is also making the use of web conferencing widespread by systematically equipping new
work stations with webcams and microphones.
Due to the nature of its business activity, Ubisoft is not directly affected by the consequences of
climate change.
However, the Group is sensitive to environmental issues and conducts the following actions to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of climate change:
- Travel policy (see 1.4.3.4.1);
- Replacement of air-conditioning systems using chlorodifluoromethane gas (R-22), which has a
global warming potential that is 1,810 times as powerful as CO2, by 2015 at the latest, in
accordance with applicable legislation;
- Reduction in energy consumption (see 1.4.3.3.3).
19
31 sites representing 84.2% of Group staff
20
Journeys by bus, company car, etc.
33
Management Report 2013
All Ubisoft sites are located in urban areas. As a consequence, none of the sites are located in or
beside protected areas or in areas rich in biodiversity.
The Ubisoft Group indirectly contributes to protecting biodiversity by consuming recycled materials
where possible, such as paper (see 1.4.3.3.2). Using recycled materials helps to reduce demand for
virgin materials and save reserves of the world’s natural resources.
In addition, the EMEA head office is currently examining the possibility of installing bee hives on the
roofs of its premises.
The Group measures its territorial, economic and social impact in terms of regional development and
job creation. During the year, the Toronto studio created 113 positions, the Shanghai site created 78
positions, of which 93.5% are local jobs, and 621 additional employees (excluding the acquisition of
the THQ Montreal studio) were welcomed at the Montreal site (of which 80% are local jobs).
Ubisoft contributes to the development of local employment while at the same time encouraging
multiculturalism with international teams. In fact, the Group only has 17.5% of expatriates throughout
all the countries in which it is present.
The Group has divided the actions conducted in collaboration with local and regional organizations
with the aim of encouraging the development of local populations into six categories:
34
Management Report 2013
- Investments in the community: Voluntary contributions and funds invested in the community in
the wider sense (including donations) (see 1.4.3.3.2);
- Solidarity: Collecting clothes, food and games, sponsoring sports teams (see 1.4.3.3.2);
- Health: Blood drives, financial donations to health-care organizations (see 1.4.3.3.2).
The sites conducted various actions in 2012/2013 to assist the development of neighboring local
populations.
Many sites are in contact with local universities to develop internship, training or tutoring programs, or
to sit on the jury for project presentations or competitions, for example in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid),
Sweden, Ukraine, Italy (Milan), Japan (Osaka), Finland, Bulgaria, the United States (San Francisco)
and India.
Red Storm (Cary, NC) worked with IGDA (International Game Developers Association), Wake Tech
Community College and other local academic establishments and art institutes to help students
compile their portfolios and prepare for interviews, thereby encouraging local employment.
The Chengdu studio has formed close relations with local universities and high schools. The
subsidiary set up a two-month training program in advanced 3D art, completed by 20 students, 17 of
who have since joined the teams. In total, of the 45 positions created by the studio in 2012/2013, 35
went to new graduates.
The Reflections studio (Newcastle) supports training programs with the Universities of Teesside,
Northumbria and Newcastle and sponsors the University of Dundee’s game development competition
“Dare to be Digital”.
Ubisoft Singapore has continued its involvement in the DigiPen campus, a tripartite collaboration
between the DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore, the Singapore Workforce Development
Agency (WDA) and the Ubisoft studio in Singapore. This collaboration, which began in October 2009,
consists of a 10-month training program with three different areas of specialization (Programming,
Game Design and Art).
The Canadian sites in Montreal and Quebec have just as much to offer when it comes to supporting
local development.
In 2012, Ubisoft Montreal launched Academia, an ambitious group of four programs aimed at training
the people who will work in video games in the future. Those taking part in Academia will become
acquainted with the skills and abilities sought by the industry and even try out the diverse aspects of
these in real production conditions. Participants get the opportunity to practice their creativity,
innovation and leadership.
The Quebec studio has also formed many partnerships, specifically a partnership with Laval University
to support the Information Technology backup facility and thus help ensure the transfer of knowledge
and skills in the IT fields, a partnership with ENDI (The National Institute of Digital Entertainment) for
Ubisoft experts to mentor students for an hour a week for 12 weeks (three students mentored in
2012/2013), and the award of scholarship for excellence in partnership with Cégep Limoilou.
In addition, Nicolas Rioux, Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the studio, sits on the Board
of Directors of CIMMI (center for digital imaging and interactive media), which aims to contribute to
technological progress and the growth of companies by providing multidisciplinary expertise in R&D
and technology transfer in the fields of digital imaging and interactive media.
35
Management Report 2013
The Group considers all people and organizations affected by the Company’s activity to be
stakeholders.
Ubisoft depends on the talent its teams possess and the human factor has remained a central concern
in all its operations since the Company was founded. Entertainment, training and development of each
individual’s potential are central to Ubisoft’s mission as a company.
For nine years now, the Group has been running a sponsorship program entitled “Sharing More Than
Games,” providing management and other support for solidarity initiatives, both individual efforts and
those that are broader-based, within the Group. The scope of this program aims to coincide with our
core business and our values as it ties in initiatives promoting access to education, culture and leisure
for children, teenagers and young adults who are ill or from deprived backgrounds.
There is a wide variety of initiatives and actions carried out under this program, including financial aid,
partnership with an association, gifts of games or sponsoring skills, and these initiatives may be
extended to an individual, locally or even on an international scale.
Of all the Group’s sites, 18 (representing 74.8% of Group staff) state that they are actively involved in
one or more partnership or sponsorship actions, with three sites involved in education actions and 15
sites involved in humanitarian actions.
Some initiatives become ongoing actions, such as the U-Care program, initiated in 2009 by Ubisoft
Shanghai and Ubisoft Chengdu in response to the earthquake that hit the area of Sichuan (China).
This year, the teams have organized two blood drives and sold apples in support of the charity “The
Children of Madaifu”. The Shanghai studio has also donated money to a school so that it can
modernize its heating system. As in previous years, Ubisoft also is maintaining its commitment to
associations providing support to children. These include the Breakfast Club in Canada which provides
a healthy, balanced breakfast for almost 15,000 children each day, the ASDI association in Barcelona
which looks after mentally and physically disabled children in the San Cugat region, and the Toys for
Tots association in the United States, which collects new toys still in their packaging to distribute to
children in need. The Quebec studio has also continued its commitment to Centraide, a Québécois
organization which supports a vast network of community organizations helping poverty-stricken or
socially-excluded people and families. As it does each year, the studio took part in the annual
36
Management Report 2013
campaign by organizing several activities such as bake sales, sales of second-hand computers,
auctions, tombolas and much more. Thanks to the involvement of the Quebec employees, the 2012
campaign raised CAD$24,048.75.
Ubisoft Sofia has renewed its partnership with the I Can Too charity which looks after children in
orphanages. The studio has taken part in reading activities and organized various activities to raise
money for the children.
Ubisoft’s sites have also taken part in several international projects. One particular example is
Movember, an event which raises money for the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. Men at
13 Ubisoft sites (representing 62% of staff) proudly grew a moustache during November 2012, raising
$44,010 for the cause.
In addition to the program launched nine years ago, in 2011 the Group launched a major Group-wide
program: The annual “Sharing More Than Games” project. The previous year, Ubisoft sites each
formed a minimum one-year partnership with a local association. The start of the partnership was
celebrated officially at a day-long event called “Sharity Day” held throughout each of the Group
subsidiaries. On this day, the Ubisoft sites hosted members of their partner associations and
organized various activities to raise funds, share information about the associations and recruit
volunteers.
This year the Group organized the “ShootMania Tournament”, an in-house ShootMania tournament
which pitted all Ubisoft’s international sites against each other. Ubisoft’s employees were able to “bet”
on their favorite team and the money collected was donated to the subsidiary’s local partner
association. Sites could choose to continue the partnership made the previous year at the “Sharity
Day” or to support a different association.
The “Sharity Tournament” was a huge success, with 36 teams in 23 different countries competing
against each other over the course of three weeks and 70 matches, raising €11,480, in addition to
various other donations (books, clothes, food, etc.).
The annual “Sharing More Than Games” program will continue next year, with partnerships
established in 2012 being renewed or new links being forged. In total, the “Sharing More Than
Games" program has raised nearly €118,500.
The majority of the studios and sites state that they systematically favor partners who give the best
guarantees in terms of environmental and social commitment and who offer equal benefits and
budgets.
Some studios and sites have even committed to make sustainable development a priority when
selecting a partner. This is true of Australia and France, which systematically include a note on
sustainable development in their tender specifications. The Pune studio also forms partnerships with
companies which have been earned Energy Star recognition. The San Francisco office has asked its
cleaning company to use environmentally friendly products.
37
Management Report 2013
1.4.4.3.3 Outsourcing
From time to time, Ubisoft employs individuals under freelance contracts (particularly for artistic
services) and temporary contracts. Peripheral activities at certain sites (security, cleaning, computer
maintenance, etc.) are subcontracted to outside companies.
The Group was not the subject of any lawsuits, fines or non–financial sanctions for non-compliance
with laws and regulations in 2012/2013.
All Ubisoft sites now have an expenditure procedure which defines principles for authorizing/approving
expenditure (authorized persons, reviews, standards which must be complied with) depending on the
amount in question.
France and the Montreal site have drawn up an official Purchasing code of ethics to protect
themselves against corruption.
In light of this, and with a view to Group-wide uniformity, the Head Office will draft a global Purchasing
policy during the coming year.
To date, neither the Group nor its sites have engaged in any actions specifically focused on consumer
health and safety.
However, the Group complies with applicable standards and legislation in its products in order to
inform its consumers and ensure their safety. The production teams work closely with ratings (PEGI,
21
ESRB , etc.) and consumer protection organizations.
The Polish subsidiary is a member of the local SPIDOR association which promotes the PEGI rating
system among consumers.
The Shanghai studio has also integrated an anti-addiction system into its Football City Stars game,
linked to the gamer’s login details and connection time.
To date, neither the Group nor its sites have engaged in other actions to protect human rights. This
subject will be tackled at Group level in the review plan to be implemented during 2013/2014.
21
PEGI (Pan European Game Information) and ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) ratings are age-
classification systems, for Europe and North America respectively, aimed at guaranteeing clear labeling of leisure
content (e.g. films, videos, DVDs and video games) by age category based on the game’s content.
38
Management Report 2013
Acquisitions:
- January 2013: Acquisition of 100% of the Canadian studio THQ Montreal;
On January 23, 2013, Ubisoft acquired a 100% stake in the studio THQ Montreal, an AAA
creator of games.
Legal reorganizations:
- March 2013: Merger of the subsidiaries Ubisoft Workshop Inc. and Ubisoft Divertissements
Inc. and Ubisoft Canada Inc. and Ubisoft Divertissements Inc.
Disposals:
- March 2013: Disposal of the subsidiary Ubisoft Sweden AB.
Production subsidiaries:
These are responsible for the design and development of the software.
The Group has continued its strategy of reorganization in line with industry developments and is
developing its expertise toward the area of online gaming.
The sales and marketing subsidiaries are responsible for distributing Ubisoft products throughout the
world.
39
Management Report 2013
Main subsidiaries:
Subsidiary (in
thousands of 03/31/13 03/31/12 03/31/11
euros)
IFRS financial Operating Net Operating Net Operating
Revenue Revenue Revenue Net profit
statements profit (loss) profit profit (loss) profit profit (loss)
Ubisoft Inc.
578,830 11,252 7,416 495,348 11,836 7,664 513,284 12,063 6,971
(United States)
Ubisoft Ltd
(United 128,417 2,039 1,322 125,972 1,399 556 159,274 2,196 1,319
Kingdom)
Ubisoft Canada
99,718 1,945 1,501 73,677 1,718 1,324 60,838 1,467 1,070
Inc.
Ubisoft GmbH
96,942 2,043 2,585 85,253 2,647 2,251 75,922 2,880 2,106
(Germany)
Ubisoft France
80,975 1,145 822 76,881 623 476 71,911 972 891
SAS
40
Management Report 2013
FRANCE
FRANCE Ubisoft Motion Pictures SARL
Ubisoft Motion Pictures Rabbids SAS
Ubisoft Annecy SAS
Ubisoft Motion Pictures Assassin’s Creed SAS
Ubisoft Montpellier SAS
Ubisoft Motion Pictures Far Cry SAS
Ubisoft Paris SAS
Ubisoft Motion Pictures Splinter Cell SAS
Ubisoft Production Internationale SAS
Ubisoft Motion Pictures Ghost Recon SAS
GERMANY Script Movie SARL
Blue Byte GmbH
Related Designs Software GmbH (2) M ARKETING
BULGARIA
Ubisoft EooD
CANADA FRANCE
Ubisoft Entertainment Inc. (Montreal) Ubisoft Emea SAS
Ubisoft Entertainment Inc. (Quebec)
(3) Ubisoft France SAS
Ubisoft Music Inc. GERMANY
Ubisoft Music Publishing Inc. Ubisoft GmbH
UbiWorkshop
(4) Spieleentwicklungskombinat GmbH
Ubisoft Toronto Inc. AUSTRIA
(5)
Quazal Technologies Inc. Ubisoft
Ubisoft Studio Saint-Antoine Inc. AUSTRALIA
9275-8309 Québec Inc. Ubisoft Pty Ltd
CHINA BELGIUM
(5)
Chengdu Ubi Computer Software Co. Ltd Ubisoft
Shanghaï Ubi Computer Software Co. Ltd BRAZIL
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Ubisoft Entertainment Ltda
Ubisoft Emirates FZ LLC CANADA
(4)
SPAIN Ubisoft Canada
Ubi Studios SL KOREA
UNITED STATES Ubisoft Entertainment (5)
Red Storm Entertainment Inc. DENMARK
Ubisoft LLC. Ubisoft Nordic AS
INDIA SPAIN
Ubisoft Entertainment India Private Ltd Ubisoft SA
ITALY UNITED STATES
Ubisoft Studios Srl Ubisoft Inc.
JAPAN HONG-KONG
Ubisoft Osaka KK Ubisoft Ltd
MOROCCO ITALY
Ubisoft Sarl Ubisoft SpA
ROMANIA JAPAN
Ubisoft Srl Ubisoft KK
UNITED KINGDOM MEXICO
Ubisoft Reflections Ltd Ubisoft (Canada).
(6)
SINGAPORE NETHERLANDS
Ubisoft Singapore Pte Ltd Ubisoft BV
SWEDEN POLAND
Ubisoft Entertainment Sweden AB
Ubisoft GmbH spółka z ograniczoną
(5)
SWITZERLAND
Ubi Games SA, Zweigniederlassung Thalwil
(5) UNITED KINGDOM
Ubisoft Ltd
UKRAINE
Ubisoft Ukraine LLC
SWITZERLAND
Ubi Games SA
ONLINE SUPPORT
FRANCE
FRANCE Ubisoft International SAS
Nadéo SAS Ubisoft Learning & Development SARL
Owlient SAS LUXEMBOURG
1.1 FINLAND Ubisoft Entertainment SARL
Redlynx Oy (1)
100% direct or indirect interest
(2)
POST-PRODUCTION VIDEO 29.95% indirect interest until March 31, 2013 and
100% indirect interest since April 1, 2013
(3) Place of business
CANADA (4) Division of Ubisoft Divertissements Inc.
Hybride Technologies Inc. (5) Branch
(6) Representative office
41
Management Report 2013
Ubisoft continued its capital expenditure policy, in order to enable the Company to gain traction in new
platforms, develop the online activity and more generally increase its market share. Accordingly, in
2012/2013, internal production costs rose 15% from €334 million to €383 million.
In order to develop exceptional video games, Ubisoft has established a project-led R&D policy for tools
and technologies, using the most recent technological advances. The choice of development engines,
tools and processes takes place well upstream in a project, because this choice determines the
potential for innovation and the necessary investment in terms of time, human resources and financing
for the game.
Its close-knit team of engineers who have mastered the best available technologies now enables
Ubisoft to take a highly pragmatic approach to its projects: Depending on the challenges and expected
results on a game, the choice of tools may involve specific internal developments, software already
available on the market, or a combination of the two. Research is thus focused on innovation and
functionality, using technologies suited to a high-quality product.
Development costs on commercial software are capitalized and amortized over two or three years,
with additional impairment losses recognized to reflect the product life cycle. During the financial year,
they were amortized in the amount of €315 million.
Although the Group does not conduct any basic research, it has worked closely with research
laboratories and universities for many years in order to collaborate with researchers in fields
connected to game development. In 2011 Ubisoft Montreal launched a research chair in artificial
intelligence and computer-based learning in collaboration with the University of Montreal and will
invest CAD$200,000 per year in the chair for five years. Since 2010 Ubisoft has also taken part, in
collaboration with Télécom Paris-Tech university, Rennes 2 university and other industrial partners, in
the research and training chair in "Modeling imaginations, innovation and creation" which intends to
explore the sources and techniques of innovation processes. Lastly, in December 2012 an agreement
was signed with the French government to finance a research and development project in the amount
of €3.5 million in technologies for the new generations of games. This project will involve some sixty
people from Ubisoft, the CEA (French commission for atomic energy and alternative energies) and
LIRIS (laboratory for image IT and information systems), part of the CNRS/Université Claude Bernard
Lyon.
These initiatives allow Ubisoft to complete its internal developments while still encouraging openness
to the many technological fields which now comprise the creation of interactive experiences and
content which are increasingly advanced and immersive. This enables Ubisoft to contribute to the
influence of the video game sector for the whole industry.
42
Management Report 2013
43
Management Report 2013
Ubisoft, like all publishers, is dependent on the success of its product catalogue and the suitability of
its offering with regard to consumer demand.
In order to meet market demand, Ubisoft takes particular care in building its product catalogue by
concentrating on:
Regularly strengthening its existing franchises in the high-definition segment;
Launching innovative products in order to seize opportunities in the Casual segment;
Developing its online and digital activity.
In order to diversify and enrich its brand portfolio and thus ensure steady income in the long term,
Ubisoft favors a strategy of creating its own brands and producing internally, underpinned by a
targeted acquisition strategy.
The Company allocates the necessary marketing and sales resources to showcase its products
through a distribution network covering over 55 countries. Its position as the third-largest independent
publisher in Europe and the United States (NPD, Chart-Track and GFK) provides the Group with a
high-performance distribution platform for its products.
Ubisoft operates on a market that is becoming increasingly competitive and selective and is subject to
concentration and economic fluctuations, marked by rapid technological changes requiring significant
R&D investment.
Ubisoft also faces new challenges such as the dematerialization of physical media (which is set to
gradually replace games boxes at some point in the future), the second-hand market, piracy, online
games and emerging competitors in Asia.
The sector overall, should grow in 2013, led by the online games sector which is experiencing rapid
growth while the consoles market may continue to decline in a context of transition to new generation
consoles and due to the less impressive than expected launch of the Wii U, which should continue to
affect sales of casual games.
In order to remain competitive, it is essential for a publisher to choose the development format for a
game wisely; an inappropriate choice could have a negative impact on the expected revenue and
profitability.
The Company is also striving to promote collaboration between its various development studios in
order to ensure the optimization of its development power and to benefit fully from its presence in low-
cost zones.
In Canada and in Singapore, Ubisoft depends on substantial grants and any change in government
policy could have a significant impact on production costs and the Company’s profitability. Ubisoft
ensures that it renegotiates these agreements on a regular basis and does not foresee any risk over
the next few years.
44
Management Report 2013
The current operating income showed an improvement for the financial year 2012/2013 thanks to the
success of Assassin’s Creed 3, Just Dance 4, Far Cry 3, and the strong growth in the online/digital
segment. Nevertheless, the uncertain economic situation and the transition to new generation
consoles could impact the Company’s performance.
1
Size of the video games market in 2012
Physical game sales: $15.3 billion
Digital and online sales: $29.4 billion (including China)
Main competitors in the physical game sector: Electronic Arts, Activision, Take-Two and Nintendo
Main competitors in the online game sector: Electronic Arts, Activision, Tencent and Zynga
Consolidated annual
1,256 100% 1,061 100% 1,039 100%
revenue
The third quarter of the financial year represents, on average, 61% of annual revenue over the last
three financial years.
In a very competitive and above all seasonal market, increasingly characterized by the need to release
big hits, the announcement of a delay in releasing an expected game may have a negative impact on
the Group’s income and future results and thus cause a drop in its share price.
A game’s launch may be delayed by the difficulty in accurately predicting the time required to develop
or test it.
The launch of a game below the standard required for it to fully realize its potential can negatively
impact the Company’s results.
Whether in the organization of its teams or ongoing research into improving development processes,
Ubisoft relies on the efficiency of its internal expertise and synergies between its studios in order to
anticipate these risks and alert the management teams as necessary.
1
Sources: NPD, Chart Track, GFK, Nielsen and PriceWaterhouseCoopers
45
Management Report 2013
The Group’s success largely depends on the talent and skills of its production and marketing teams in
a highly competitive international market. If the Group were no longer able to attract and retain new
talents, or were no longer capable of retaining or motivating its key employees, the Company’s growth
prospects and financial position could be affected.
The Company follows an active policy of recruitment, training and retention through the following
initiatives in particular:
Company/university collaboration: Strong relationships with the main universities in the various
countries where the Group operates;
The addition of tools and forums to encourage skills sharing;
Implementation of various high-level training programs for core production activities.
All of the programs established by Human Resources at a local and international level are first and
foremost designed to attract, train, retain and motivate employees with strong technical and/or
managerial skills: Development opportunities, share purchase plans, stock option plans, personal
development plans, etc.
The Company has a policy of expanding into new business lines, regularly reflected in the opening
and acquisition of new studios. The integration of these studios is critical for the Company’s success in
order to meet future growth targets.
In order to ensure that these new entities are integrated successfully, the Company has put in place a
number of solutions to support the teams. Similarly, the Company continues to develop the skills of its
administrative teams in order to limit financial, tax or legal risks.
A sound financial structure for the target Company (net financial surplus and level of available equity)
is expected to minimize these risks.
The potential loss of key employees at the target Company could have a negative impact on financial
performance. However, to date, Ubisoft has always proven capable of integrating acquired companies
into the Group.
There are no government, legal or arbitration proceedings pending that are likely to have or that, over
the past 12 months, have had a material impact on the financial position or profitability of the Company
and/or the Group.
The Group is subject to regular tax inspections by the tax authorities in the countries where it is
present.
46
Management Report 2013
As part of the tax audit at Ubisoft Divertissements Inc. (Canada) from 1999 to 2003, and from 2004 to
2008, a bilateral transfer price agreement has been initiated with the tax authorities. Pending the final
agreement, the provision of CAD$3 million is maintained unchanged.
A tax audit is underway at Ubisoft Entertainment SA for the period from April 1, 2009 to March 31,
2012. No proposed adjustments have been received to date. Consequently, no provision has been
recognized in the accounts.
A tax audit is underway at Ubisoft Divertissements for the period April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2013,
following the challenging by Canadian authorities (Investissement Québec) of CTMM (Canadian credit
multimedia shares) for a significant amount in profitability bonuses paid to employees of the company.
Based on advice of counsel to the Company, no provision has been booked.
The Company has developed tools and implemented the requisite procedures to comply at a global
level with local laws and regulations, in particular those relating to consumer protection, also covering
but not limited to information given to consumers on the rules of use and content of games, the
classification of games in accordance with the age-rating classifications of PEGI in Europe and ESRB
in the United States, the protection of consumers’ personal data when this data is collected, and the
protection of minors (notably by setting up parental consent procedures). The Company has
introduced internal control procedures to check compliance with the above.
It is a member of the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) in the United States and Canada, the
ISFE (Interactive Software Federation of Europe) and the SELL (Syndicat des Éditeurs de Logiciels de
Loisirs) in France, and complies with the PEGI (Europe) and ESRB (United States) classification
systems.
Given the importance and intrinsic value of its brands, the Company has taken the necessary
measures to protect its portfolio of commercial brands as well as the other intellectual property rights
that it holds:
Procedure for checking the pre-existence of brands proposed for games at European and
international level, registration of brands and domain names of games designed at European,
US and international level;
Legal monitoring of brands that are similar or identical to those of the Company and that have
been registered by third parties at a global level;
Legal monitoring of potential Company copyright violations;
A dedicated anti-piracy team, whose task is to carry out a technology watch, advise
development teams and coordinate action between the various internal and external teams;
Copyright infringement pressing civil claims in criminal proceedings where applicable, or via
any other available criminal or civil avenues, and measures against hackers in order to obtain
the removal of games illegally put online.
Every year, Ubisoft signs a series of partnership agreements with, in particular, prestigious partners
such as film studios, music labels etc., enabling it to develop its game catalogue and increase
revenue.
The biggest licensor accounts for nearly 1.2% of revenue.
47
Management Report 2013
The potential interruption of certain partnerships, for whatever reason, at the behest of Ubisoft or its
partners, is likely to have a negative impact on the income and future performance of the Company as
it would not be offset by other new licenses.
Because it has many large retailer customers in numerous countries, the Company believes it has no
significant dependency on any customer that could affect its growth plan.
Moreover, in order to protect themselves against the risk of default, the Group's main subsidiaries,
which account for approximately 68% of consolidated revenue, are all covered by credit insurance.
The Company has no significant financial dependency on subcontractors or suppliers likely to affect its
growth plan.
Ubisoft and its subsidiaries mainly use services or products from suppliers such as systems
integrators (printers to produce manuals and product packaging, disk suppliers to subcontract the
supply and duplication of DVD-ROMs and Blu-ray Discs, other systems integrators), technology
providers and suppliers of licenses and maintenance in connection with the Company’s operations.
Despite the priority given to games developed internally, which account for 90% of revenue, the
Company may call on outside studios in the context of its development activities in order to work on
traditional subcontracting projects by supplying additional and/or specialized production capacity or to
take on original projects in which they have specific expertise. These independent development
studios may sometimes have a limited capital base that may put the completion of a project at risk.
To limit such risks, Ubisoft has introduced internal monitoring procedures, limited the number of
games entrusted to a single studio, and ensured that it assimilates all or a portion of the technology
that these studios use.
48
Management Report 2013
Pursuant to the provisions of Articles L. 441-6-1, paragraph 1 and D. 441-4 of the French Commercial
Code, please note that the Company's liabilities to suppliers at the close of the last two financial years
break down by due date as follows:
The reliability of financial and accounting information, risk management and the related internal control
system are explained in the report by the Chairman of the Board of Directors on the internal control
procedures implemented by the Company.
Like any other international company with a strong presence on the Internet, Ubisoft is exposed to
multiple prerequisites in regulations and standards relating to data protection and management.
Ubisoft is conscious of the strategic value of information and takes particular care to protect gamer
information.
Ubisoft also faces numerous threats in many areas: mobility solutions, social networking, online
services and games, partnerships for development, etc.
To respond to these challenges, Ubisoft's Security and Risk Management team does its utmost to
guarantee the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the information it holds and of its
infrastructures by implementing a business continuity plan, strengthening the security of people and
goods, etc. To achieve this, Ubisoft is investing more and more heavily in specialist resources to
reduce current risks and to increase its ability to anticipate future threats.
Efforts on security policies and standards have continued, particularly in relation to the classification of
data and information which could identify employees, customers and players (UPlay, various sites and
forums, etc.). These policies and standards are subject to a permanent control process in order to
guarantee relevance and efficiency. This initiative, which is accompanied by strengthened human and
technical resources, requires, among other things:
Increased employee awareness through information campaigns via different channels (online
training and self-assessment, etc.);
Management of the network of local security departments present in all the Group subsidiaries
and a centralized incident management system; this system gives Ubisoft an overview of
security.
In addition, internal and external audits are conducted regularly to validate various architectures and
technology choices implemented by Ubisoft.
49
Management Report 2013
Keen to always be in sync with technological developments and meet the needs of its employees and
consumers, Ubisoft assesses, approves and supports the implementation of innovative solutions while
also complying with internal security standards. As such, Ubisoft continues to increase employee
mobility through solutions which allow them to work with their personal tools while still guaranteeing
the integrity and confidentiality of Ubisoft data.
Ubisoft continues to adapt and improve its approach to risk management in order to meet future
challenges in an environment where technologies are constantly evolving.
In the course of its business, the Group is exposed to varying degrees of financial risk (foreign-
exchange, financing, liquidity, interest-rate), counterparty risk and equity risk.
The risk management policy and its organization within the Group - notably through the Treasury
Department, attached to the Finance Department - are described in the Chairman's internal audit
report.
Additional information and figures on exposure to these different risks are detailed in Note 16 to the
consolidated financial statements.
Through its operating activities: Sales and operating expenses of Group subsidiaries are
largely denominated in local currency. However, some transactions such as license agreements and
intercompany invoicing are denominated in another currency. The operating margin of the subsidiaries
concerned may therefore be exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates involving their operational
currency;
Through its financing activities: In line with its policy of centralizing risks, the Group has to
manage financing and cash in various currencies;
During the process of translating the accounts of its subsidiaries from foreign currencies into
euros: Current operating income may be generated in currencies other than the euro. As a result,
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates against the euro may have an impact on the Group's
income statement. These fluctuations also affect the carrying amount of assets and liabilities
denominated in foreign currencies and appearing in the consolidated balance sheet.
The Group first uses natural hedges provided by transactions in the other direction (development costs
in foreign currency offset by royalties from subsidiaries in the same currency). The parent Company
uses foreign currency borrowings, forward sales or foreign-exchange options to hedge any residual
exposures and non-commercial transactions (such as inter-company loans in foreign currencies).
The sensitivity of Group earnings to changes in the value of its main currencies is described in Note 16
to the consolidated financial statements.
50
Management Report 2013
Impact on a +1% variation in the main currencies on revenue and operating income/loss
USD 656
GBP 19
CAD 123
(1)
In thousands of euros
In the course of its operating activity, the Group has no recurrent or significant debts. Operating cash
flows are generally sufficient to finance operating activity and organic growth. However, the Group
may need to increase its debt by using credit lines to finance merger & acquisition activity. In order to
finance temporary needs related to increases in working capital during especially busy periods, at
March 31, 2013 the Group had a €214.5 million syndicated loan, €4 million in loans, €45 million in
confirmed credit facilities, other bank credit facilities totaling €61 million and €20 million in bonds
issued in December 2012.
The Group's liquidity risk is mainly induced by payment flows on derivatives and is therefore not
material.
INTEREST-RATE RISK
Interest-rate risk is mainly incurred through the Group’s interest-bearing debt. This is essentially euro-
denominated and centrally managed. Interest-rate risk management is primarily designed to minimize
the cost of the Group’s borrowings and reduce exposure to this risk. For this purpose, the Group uses
primarily fixed-rate loans for its long-term financing needs and variable-rate loans to finance specific
needs relating to increases in working capital during particularly busy periods.
At March 31, 2013, the Group's debt included the bond loan, outstanding loans and bank overdrafts
which, given the Group's positive cash position, were used essentially to finance the high year-end
working capital requirement engendered by the highly seasonal nature of the business.
The sensitivity of debt to a change in interest rates is described in Note 16 to the consolidated financial
statements.
51
Management Report 2013
The Group is exposed to counterparty risk - mostly banking-related - in the course of its financial
management. The aim of the Group's banking policy is to focus on the creditworthiness of its
counterparties and thus reduce its risks.
Treasury shares are held under a market-making and liquidity agreement signed with Exane BNP.
These purchases are made under the terms of a market-making agreement that complies with all
applicable regulations, and are designed to ensure the liquidity of purchases and sales of shares.
The Company allocated €1.7 million for the implementation of this agreement.
As at March 31, 2013, the Company held 511,523 treasury shares with a value of €2,524 thousand.
Own shares are deducted from equity at cost of sale.
On July 12, 2007, Ubisoft Entertainment SA signed two contracts with CACIB. The first concerns the
sale of all Gameloft shares held by Ubisoft Entertainment SA, or 13,367,923 shares at a price of €6.08
per share. The second is the opportunity for Ubisoft to continue to benefit from upward and downward
fluctuations in the share price in relation to the price of €6.08 per share until July 15, 2013.
Under IAS 39, all the risks and benefits have not been transferred; the Gameloft shares have been
classified as available-for-sale current financial assets.
The sale of Gameloft shares on the market by CACIB is recorded in the income statement.
The Gameloft shares not yet sold by CACIB are measured at fair value. The change in fair value of
shares not yet sold by CACIB is recognized in other comprehensive income.
At March 31, 2013, financial assets included €5.1 million in shares in the listed company Gameloft.
Information on the valuation of these shares is presented in Note 9 to the consolidated financial
statements and the accounting principles.
A 10% change in closing price would have an impact of €0.5 million on shareholders' equity.
Ubisoft did not record any provision, purchase any insurance to cover potential environmental risks, or
pay any compensation in this regard during the financial year.
The Group’s environmental footprint is presented and detailed in the "Sustainable Development" part
of this report.
52
Management Report 2013
The policy of insuring the Group aims to protect it against the consequences of certain potential and
identified events that could have an adverse effect on it. This policy falls under the general scope of
risk management, downstream of prevention plans and business continuity plans.
A civil liability insurance policy for corporate officers has been taken out at Group level. It covers all
claims made against de jure or de facto executives, as well as defense and ancillary costs.
Commercial liability policies are currently taken out locally, however a Group-wide study has been
conducted into implementing a worldwide program including:
- Liability resulting from operations;
- Product liability;
- Professional liability.
The Group is completing the examination of the proposals received from various brokers.
Apart from these two programs, most of the policies in place are taken out locally at subsidiary level,
taking account of the specific nature of that subsidiary's activity and the country in which it is present,
using brokers as appropriate, particularly for the following scopes:
Property damage and, where appropriate, trading loss;
Goods in transit;
Vehicles;
Employee health risks and employee benefits;
Business travel;
Expatriate cover;
etc.
53
Management Report 2013
For games for core gamers on high-definition consoles and PCs, the Company is focusing its
efforts on its strong franchises, in order to increase the quality and regularity of releases. It
also plans to capitalize on the momentum expected from the future launch of replacements for
™ ®
the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 with the launch of new brands such as Watch Dogs.
The brands for core gamers are also slated to be adapted for online gaming, like the free-to-
play model, as in the cases of the successful Settlers Online and the 2013 launch of Anno
Online and Might & Magic Heroes Online. Ubisoft will also launch new creations on the online
segment, in particular the free-to-play game The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot™.
For casual gaming, the Company continues to seize the opportunities offered by the
introduction of new consoles, the creation of new segments such as Just Dance or
™
Rocksmith and the development of strong online media brands, like the highly successful
®
free-to-play game Howrse from the acquisition of Owlient.
In 2012, the console video games market recorded a drop of 15% in Europe and 22% in North
America (sources: NPD, Chart-Track, GFK, etc.). In this segment, the year 2013 should once again be
down from 2012 due to the expected transition to new generation consoles. On the other hand, it is
anticipated that the online video games market should experience another year of strong growth,
enabling growth overall in the gaming market.
54
Management Report 2013
Non-recurring items
(68,108) (65,784)
Net profit (30,462) (63,817)
(1)
including capitalized production: €385,396 thousand (internally developed software: €362,006 thousand and
externally developed software: €23,390 thousand)
As at March 31, 2013, internal development costs came to €421 million as compared with €368 million
as at March 31, 2012.
As at March 31, 2013, the tax group includes all French companies, with the exception of those
created and acquired during the financial year.
55
Management Report 2013
Income tax (in thousands of euros) 13,532 (786) (30,439) (2,271) (3,002)
Employee profit-sharing - - - - -
Distributed earnings - - - - -
Average headcount 5 5 5 5 5
56
Management Report 2013
REGISTERED OFFICE 107, Avenue Henri Fréville - BP 10704 - Rennes (35207) Cedex 2
FINANCIAL YEAR The financial year runs from April 1 to March 31.
Ubisoft Entertainment SA has the following purpose, in France and abroad, both directly and indirectly:
- The creation, production, publishing and distribution of all kinds of multimedia, audiovisual and IT
products, especially videogames, educational and cultural software, cartoons and literary,
cinematographic and television works on any media, current or future;
- The distribution of all kinds of multimedia and audiovisual products, especially through new
communication technologies such as networks and online services;
- The purchase, sale and, in general, all forms of trading, including both import and export, via rental
or otherwise, of any computer and word-processing hardware with its accessories, as well as any
hardware or products for reproducing sound and pictures;
- The marketing and management of all data processing and word-processing computer programs;
- Consulting, support, assistance and training relating to any of the above-mentioned fields;
- The investment of the Company in any operation that may relate to its purpose, by the creation of
new companies, the subscription or purchase of shares or corporate rights, by mergers or by other
means;
- And in general, any operation related directly or indirectly to the above purpose or similar and
related purposes likely to promote the Company's development.
57
Management Report 2013
58
Management Report 2013
59
Management Report 2013
As at March 31, 2013, the number of outstanding fully paid-up shares totaled 96,013,433 with a par
value of €0.0775 each, for a share capital of €7,441,041.06.
The following table outlines the number of shares created between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013:
As at April 9, 2013, closing share capital (leading to a revision of the Articles of Association and K-bis
(registry document)) totaled €7,444,215.30, divided into 96,054,391 fully paid-up shares with a par
value of €0.0775 each.
The following table outlines the number of shares created between April 1, 2013 and April 9, 2013:
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Management Report 2013
61
Management Report 2013
Number of
Potential
Bonus share grants (see 3.3.2.3) potential
dilution
shares
Presence and performance requirements (with the exception of the plan of June 24, 2011) 1,879,528 1.92%
Number
of Potential
Share subscription options (see 3.3.3.4)
potential dilution
shares
Open and “in the market” (1) Plans 11, 12, 23 and 24 2,963,853 2.99%
Plans 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
Open and “in or out of the market” (2) 7,867,381 7.57%
and 24
Open and non-open Plans 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23,
12,880,409 11.83%
“in or out of the market” (2) 24 and 25
(1)
Based on the closing share price at March 28, 2013: €8.43
(2)
Subscription price lower or higher than the closing share price at March 28, 2013: €8.43
Number
of Potential
Share subscription warrants (see 3.3.2.6) – “BSA” (3)
potential dilution
shares
Number of outstanding warrants 93,697,256 8,517,932 8.15%
(3)
Bonus issue to all shareholders whose shares were registered April 5, 2012 after market close: one warrant per share
registered / 11 warrants giving entitlement to subscribe to 1 new share for an exercise price of €7. Exercise period from
April 10, 2012 to October 10, 2013.
Number
of Potential
Share issuance warrants (see 3.3.2.6) – “BEA” (4)
potential dilution
shares
Number of outstanding share issuance
9,400,000 9,400,000 8.92%
warrants
(4)
Equity line. BEAs exercisable at the discretion of the Company allowing to carry out successive share capital increases
for a maximum amount of €728,500
62
Management Report 2013
Date of Number Number including including top Number of shares Balance at Date of Performance
General of of shares corporate 10 employee canceled 03/31/13 acquisition conditions
Meeting beneficiaries granted officers beneficiaries
Date at the grant Over FY Grant date Date of
of Board transfer
Meeting
09/22/08 45,500 34,000 04/08/13
(3)
17 (1) 0 (1) 3,540 5,057 40,958 Yes
04/09/09 46,015 34,384 04/09/13
09/22/08 15,000 15,000 11/16/13 (3)
2 (1) 0 (1) - - 15,168 Yes
11/17/09 15,168 15,168 11/17/13
09/22/08 355,000 152,000 12/14/13
(3)
42 (1) 0 (1) 12,135 75,842 283,148 12/15/13 Yes
12/15/09 358,990 153,704 (2)
12/15/15
09/22/08 160,500 105,000 06/29/14
(3)
26 (1) 0 (1) - 15,675 146,631 06/30/14 Yes
06/30/10 162,306 106,180 (2)
06/30/16
09/22/08 215,000 112,000 11/14/14
(3)
38 (1) 0 (1) 10,112 20,225 197,197 11/15/14 Yes
11/15/10 217,422 113,255 (2)
11/15/16
09/22/08 12,140 100 06/23/13 (4)
1,214 (1) 0 (1) - 0 13,354 (2) No
06/24/11 13,354 110 06/24/15
63
Management Report 2013
2)
Conditions 03/31/13
CORPORATE OFFICERS
No share subscription or purchase options were granted or exercised by corporate officers during the
financial year.
Number of options granted between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013
Number of share Average Plan number
subscription options granted weighted Expiry date
Complete information to top 10 beneficiaries price
all Group companies
combined
292,000 €6.54 Plan 25
Expiry 10/18/17
Options exercised during the financial year between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013
Number of options Average Plan number
exercised by the 10 employees weighted Expiry date
exercising the highest number price
(1)
Two-year extension following the Board of Directors’ decision of January 10, 2011
As of March 31, 2013, employees held 924,360 shares, or 0.96% of the share capital, via the "FCPE
Ubi actions" fund.
During the year ended March 31, 2013, the authorizations granted to the Board of Directors by the
Combined General Meetings of June 30, 2011 and September 24, 2012 were used to perform capital
increases reserved for subscribers to a savings plan of the Group, an associated company and/or
companies within the meaning of Article L. 225-180 of the French Commercial Code, within the limit of
0.2% (Meeting of June 30, 2011) and 0.1% (Meeting of September 24, 2012) of the total amount of
shares making up the share capital at the time of its use by the Board of Directors, in particular via a
company mutual fund.
The use of these authorizations made between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 is detailed in 3.3.2.1
for valid authorizations granted to the Board of Directors regarding capital increases.
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Management Report 2013
Via the delegation of authority granted by the General Meeting of June 30, 2011 in its eleventh and
twelfth resolutions and the sub-delegation granted by the Board on March 9, 2012 to its Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer, it was decided on March 20, 2012 to issue, with cancellation of preferential
subscription rights of shareholders, share issuance warrants (BEA) exercisable at the discretion of the
Company, underwritten by CRÉDIT AGRICOLE CORPORATE AND INVESTMENT BANK (CACIB) - an
accredited investor within the meaning of Article L. 411-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code,
through a private placement and for the establishment of an equity line.
Market information
For each issue of new shares upon exercise of BEA by the Company, a Euronext notice shall be
published prior to admission to trading of these shares and shall indicate the number of shares issued
and the subscription price.
Under the authorization granted in its ninth resolution by the General Meeting of June 30, 2011, the
Board of Directors (i) at its meeting of March 9, 2012, decided on the principle of a free grant of BSA to
shareholders of the Company and approved the main characteristics of the BSA and (ii) at its meeting
of March 26, 2012, decided to proceed with the issue and free grant of 95,090,002 BSA to
shareholders of the Company, and decided on the schedule for the grant and the definitive
characteristics of the BSA.
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Management Report 2013
Maximum number of new shares issued from the exercise of the BSA
8,592,924 new shares after cancellation of the 567,834 BSA granted to Ubisoft Entertainment SA
BOND ISSUE
On December 19, 2012 Ubisoft Entertainment SA successfully placed a bond loan with a French
institutional investor.
Term: 6 years
Total nominal amount: €20,000,000
Interest: 3.99% per year
Number of bonds: 200
Par value: €100,000
ISIN code: FR0011378686
Bond maturity: Direct, unconditional, unsubordinated and unsecured obligations of
Ubisoft Entertainment SA ranking pari passu and without any
preference among themselves with other present and future
unsubordinated and unsecured obligations of Ubisoft Entertainment
SA.
Change of control: Change of control clause that would trigger early redemption of bonds
at the request of each bondholder in the event of a change of control
of Ubisoft Entertainment SA.
Early redemption: Applicable in the event of certain standard cases of default for this
type of transaction and/or, in particular, a change in the Company's
situation.
The prospectus relating to the listing of the bonds can be consulted on the websites of the Company
(www.ubisoftgroup.com) and the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (www.amf-france.org).
67
Management Report 2013
Date of Number
Amount Cumulative Amount of
Board of
Type of transaction (in cash) Premiums number of the share
meeting shares
(2) shares capital
issued
Exercise of subscription options €1,212,081.36 €1,195,471.41 €7,319,603.29
04/22/10 214,322 94,446,494
from 07/01/09 to 03/31/10
Exercise of subscription options
from 04/01/10 to 11/30/10 and
12/17/10 capital increases (for the benefit 223,178 €1,401,659.69 €1,384,363.40 94,669,672 €7,336,899.58
of employees of certain foreign
subsidiaries)
Exercise of subscription options €369,688.34 €365,176.44 €7,341,411.48
04/15/11 58,218 94,727,890
from 12/01/10 to 03/31/11
Exercise of subscription options
07/18/11 from 04/01/11 to 06/30/11 and 67,574 €373,493.36 €368,256.37 94,795,464 €7,346,648.46
subscription of FCPE Ubi shares
Exercise of subscription options
09/30/11 from 07/01/11 to 08/31/11 and 167,666 €42,307.08 €29,312.97 94,963,130 €7,359,642.58
increase by capitalization of
reserves
Exercise of subscription options
from 09/01/11 to 02/29/12 and €42,800.24 €33,124.52 €7,369,318.30
03/15/12 124,848 95,087,978
increase by capitalization of
reserves
03/30/12 Exercise of subscription options 2,024 €7,853.12 €7,696.26 95,090,002 €7,369,475.16
from 03/01/12 to 03/29/12
Exercise of subscription options
05/23/12 from 03/30/12 to 04/30/12 and 769 €59.59 €4,425.97 95,090,771 €7,369,534.75
exercise of BSA from 04/10/12
to 04/30/12
Increase by capitalization of
06/11/12 reserves and exercise of BSA 35,817 €2,775.82 €47,730.64 95,126,588 €7,372,310.57
from 05/01/12 to 05/31/02
Increase by capitalization of €1,065.63
06/27/12 13,750 - 95,140,338 €7,373,376.20
reserves
Exercise of subscription options
from 05/01/12 to 06/30/12 and
07/19/12 exercise of BSA from 06/01/12 66,835 €5,179.71 €289,493.97 95,207,173 €7,378,555.91
to 06/30/12
Subscription of FCPE Ubi
shares
Increase by capitalization of
reserves and exercise of BSA €7,298.79 €113,839.93 €7,385,854.70
09/14/12 94,178 95,301,351
and subscription options from
07/01/12 to 08/31/12
Increase by capitalization of
reserves and exercise of BSA
04/05/13 and subscription options from 753,040 €58,360.60 €5,144,187.80 96,054,391 €7,444,215.30
09/01/12 to 03/31/13
(1)
Closing share capital (leading to a revision of the Articles of Association and K-bis (registry document))
(2)
Or a the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer’s decision in case of delegation
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Management Report 2013
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The Combined General Meeting of September 24, 2012 renewed the authorization previously granted
to the Board of Directors by the Combined General Meeting of June 30, 2011, allowing the Company
to buy back its own shares in accordance with Article L. 225-209 et seq. of the French Commercial
Code (hereinafter “Buyback Program”).
POSITION AT 03/31/13
Percentage of own shares held directly and indirectly 0.53%
Number of shares canceled over the previous 24 months N/A
Number of shares in portfolio
Liquidity agreement 115,124
Purchase option hedges 396,399
Portfolio carrying amount €2,523,531.47
Portfolio market value (a) €4,312,138.89
(a)
Closing price on March 28, 2013: €8.43
Since January 2, 2006, the Company has set Exane BNP PARIBAS the task of implementing a
liquidity agreement in line with the AMAFI code of ethics recognized by the Autorité des Marchés
Financiers (AMF), hereinafter the “Agreement", with a one-year automatically renewable term.
By virtue of an amendment to the Agreement dated April 5, 2011, the total figure allocated to the
Agreement was increased to €1.7 million. The Company allocated this amount for the implementation
of this agreement over the last financial year.
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Management Report 2013
Pursuant to Articles 241-2 and 241-3 of the AMF's General Regulations, and to European regulation
2273/2003 of December 22, 2003, the Company describes below the share buyback program that will
be submitted for the approval of the Combined General Meeting of June 27, 2013.
Shares concerned: ordinary shares in Ubisoft Entertainment SA, listed on Euronext Paris, division B,
ISIN code FR0000054470
Maximum percentage of capital: 10% of the total number of shares making up the capital on the
buyback date, in other words - and based for guidance on the number of outstanding shares at April
30, 2013 (96,078,343), taking into account the number of shares held at May 14, 2013 (520,478
shares representing 0.542% of the capital): 9,087,356 or 9.458%
Maximum purchase price: A maximum of €288,235,020 based on the share capital as at April 30,
2013
Objectives:
- To ensure liquidity and market-making for the Ubisoft Entertainment SA stock via an investment
service provider acting independently in accordance with the code of ethics recognized by the
AMF;
- To hand over shares upon the exercise of rights attached to securities giving entitlement by any
means, whether immediately or over time, to the Company's share capital;
- To grant shares to employees and corporate officers of the Ubisoft Group under any arrangement
authorized by law and, in particular, via a company profit-sharing scheme, any company savings
scheme, any bonus share grant plan, or any stock option plan for some or all of the Group's
employees or corporate officers;
- To retain shares for delivery at a later date in exchange or as payment for future acquisitions up to
a limit of 5% of the existing capital;
- To cancel shares on the condition that the General Meeting of June 27, 2013 adopts the
corresponding resolution;
- To implement any market practice that is or may come to be recognized by law or the AMF.
Duration of authorization: 18 months from the General Meeting of June 27, 2013.
Summary statements of transactions completed from May 15, 2012 (*) to May 14, 2013, the date
of this report
Percentage of own shares held directly and indirectly 0.541%
Number of shares canceled over the previous 24 months N/A
Number of shares in portfolio (1)
Liquidity agreements 124,026
Stock option hedges 395,881
Portfolio carrying amount €2,586,461.63
Portfolio market value (2) €4,471,200.20
(1)
400,000 shares were purchased on the market (assigned to employee shareholdings) under the sixth resolution of the General Meeting of
June 30, 2011 and the balance under the liquidity contract with Exane BNP Paribas
(2)
Closing price at May 14, 2013: €8.60
(*)
In accordance with the provisions of AMF directive 2005-06, the period concerned starts on the day following the date on which the
statement of the previous program was drawn up
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Management Report 2013
Average
maximum term
(1)
Average
transaction €7.19 €7.17 N/A
price
Average
- -
strike price
€3,921,581.34 €4,232,867.97
Amounts
(1)
Validity of the authorization granted by the General Meeting of September 24, 2012: March 23, 2014 or by early termination if the
General Meeting approves a similar resolution before then
(*)
Total gross flows include spot buying and selling as well as transactions on options, exercised or expired
71
Management Report 2013
10
9
8
7
6
5
Cours le plus haut (en €)
4
Cours le plus bas (en €)
3
2
1
0
juin-11
juin-12
juil.-11
juil.-12
déc.-11
déc.-12
mai-11
août-11
avr.-12
mai-12
août-12
avr.-13
oct.-11
janv.-12
mars-12
sept.-12
oct.-12
janv.-13
mars-13
sept.-11
nov.-11
févr.-12
nov.-12
févr.-13
72
Management Report 2013
% % % % % %
Guillemot 6,652,668 13,305,336 6,803,580 13,606,248 6,803,580 13,607,160
Brothers SE 6.929% 12.004% 7.155% 12.782% 7.182% 12.779%
Claude 685,244 1,370,488 685,244 1,370,488 725,244 1,410,488
Guillemot 0.714% 1.236% 0.721% 1.287% 0.766% 1.325%
Yves 836,608 1,673,216 836,608 1,673,216 836,608 1,673,216
Guillemot 0.871% 1.510% 0.880% 1.572% 0.883% 1.571%
Michel 499,984 999,968 499,984 999,968 499,984 999,968
Guillemot 0.521% 0.902% 0.526% 0.939% 0.528% 0.939%
Gérard 520,428 1,040,856 520,428 1,040,856 520,428 1,040,856
Guillemot 0.542% 0.939% 0.547% 0.978% 0.549% 0.978%
Christian 276,788 553,576 276,788 553,576 276,788 553,576
Guillemot 0.288% 0.499% 0.291% 0.52% 0.292% 0.52%
Other members of 109,148 218,296 109,148 218,296 109,148 218,296
the Guillemot family 0.113% 0.196% 0.115% 0.205% 0.115% 0.205%
Guillemot 613,874 1,227,748 863,874 1,727,748 863,874 1,727,748
Corporation SA 0.639% 1.108% 0.908% 1.623% 0.912% 1.623%
(1) 10,194,742 20,389,484 10,595,654 21,190,396 10,635,654 21,231,308
Concert
10.618% 18.396% 11.143% 19.907% 11.228% 19.940%
Ubisoft 511,523 - 566,584 - 143,295 -
Entertainment SA 0.533% - 0.596% - 0.151% -
FCPE 924,360 1,672,947 918,316 1,666,903 748,587 1,497,174
Ubi Actions 0.963% 1.509% 0.966% 1.566% 0.79% 1.406%
84,382,808 88,774,508 83,009,448 83,592,253 83,200,354 83,748,865
Public
87.886% 80.095% 87.296% 78.528% 87.831% 78.654%
96,013,433 110,836,939 95,090,002 106,449,552 94,727,890 106,477,347
TOTAL
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
(1)
The 10,194,742 shares held by concert, composed of the companies Guillemot Brothers SE and Guillemot Corporation SA and the Guillemot
family, all had double voting rights at March 31, 2013
(2)
In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association, a double voting right is conferred on shares that have been registered for at least
two years
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Management Report 2013
During the financial year ended March 31, 2013, and up to May 14, 2013, the following crossings of
legal thresholds were declared:
(1)
Acting on behalf of the funds under its management
(2)
FMR LLC is a holding company of an independent group of portfolio companies, acting of behalf funds commonly referred to as Fidelity
Investments
(3)
Statement of intent
74
Management Report 2013
- There are no agreements between shareholders that could lead to restrictions on the transfer of
shares or the exercise of voting rights;
- There are certain agreements reached by the Company that would be amended or terminated in
the event of a change in control at the Company, but for reasons of confidentiality it seems unwise
to specify the nature of these contracts;
- There are no measures that could delay, postpone or prevent a change of control.
To the best of the Company's knowledge there are no disclosed or undisclosed shareholder
agreements concerning Ubisoft stock.
N/A
N/A
N/A
75
Management Report 2013
4 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Following the decision of the Board on April 9, 2009 announced on April 14, 2009, the Company
referred to the corporate governance code for listed companies published in December 2008 and
updated in April 2010 (the "AFEP-MEDEF Code"), particularly in preparing the report required by
Article L. 225-37 of the French Commercial Code.
The Report of the Chairman of the Board of Directors on corporate governance and internal control
includes the AFEP-MEDEF Code recommendations that were eliminated and the reasons for this.
Claude Guillemot
Director 10/30/56 02/28/88 03/31/13 685,244
Executive Vice President, Operations
Michel Guillemot
Director
01/15/59 02/28/88 03/31/13 499,984
Executive Vice President, Development,
Strategy and Finance
Gérard Guillemot
Director
07/14/61 02/28/88 03/31/16 520,428
Executive Vice President, Publishing &
Marketing
Christian Guillemot
Director 02/10/66 02/28/88 03/31/13 276,788
Executive Vice President, Administration
Estelle Métayer
Director 04/08/70 09/24/12 03/31/16 4,000
The other offices held by directors currently or over the last five years appear in 4.4 below.
It should be noted that the composition of the Board will be changed in the short term [see Chairman's
report on corporate governance and internal control].
76
Management Report 2013
In application of Article 9 of the Company's Articles of Association, the term of office for directors is
four years, with a system of staggered renewals to ensure a smooth transition and avoid an ad hoc
replacement in compliance with the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code,.
Over the life of the Company, directors are appointed or reappointed by the Ordinary General Meeting.
However, in the event of a merger or demerger, the appointment may be made by the Extraordinary
General Meeting held to deliberate on the operation concerned.
Between two Meetings and in the event of a vacancy due to death or resignation, appointments may
be made on a provisional basis by the Board of Directors. They are subject to ratification at the
following General Meeting.
Pursuant to applicable legislative and regulatory provisions, if a director is appointed to replace
another, he or she shall only hold this position for the remainder of his or her predecessor's term.
The term of office of directors ends following the Ordinary General Meeting called to approve the
financial statements for the previous financial year and held in the year in which their term of office
expires.
The Board of Directors has the broadest possible powers to determine business policies and ensure
their implementation within the limits of the corporate objects and the powers expressly granted by law
to the General Meeting.
Pursuant to Article L. 225-51 of the French Commercial Code, the Board of Directors, at its meeting of
October 22, 2001, decided the method of exercise of the executive management. It decided not to
separate the positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and of Chief Executive Officer, mainly to
encourage close relations between managers and shareholders, in the tradition of Ubisoft
Entertainment SA.
As a result, Yves Guillemot, as Chairman of the Board of Directors, is legally responsible for
representing the Company's Board of Directors, organizing its work and reporting on it to the
Shareholders’ General Meeting, overseeing the smooth operation of the Company’s corporate bodies
and ensuring in particular that the directors are capable of carrying out their responsibilities. With
regard to the position of Chief Executive Officer, and subject to the powers legally attributed to the
Shareholders’ General Meetings and the Board of Directors, he has the broadest authority to act in all
circumstances on behalf of the Company and to represent it in its relations with third parties.
The by-laws updated on December 14, 2012 provide the opportunity for directors to participate in the
Board's deliberations via videoconference or telecommunications which enable them to be identified
and which guarantee their effective participation, under the conditions determined by the regulations in
force.
The by-laws provide the operating rules for the permanent committees set up within the Board of
Directors.
77
Management Report 2013
To the best of the Company's knowledge, over the past five years:
Michel, Claude, Yves, Gérard and Christian Guillemot are brothers and are members of the
Management and Board of Directors of Gameloft SE and Ubisoft Entertainment SA. In this respect,
there may be potential conflicts of interest when these two companies collaborate on certain projects.
Although the contracts detailed below linking the two companies expired on April 1, 2012, they are still
considered to be regulated agreements insofar as they are have sell-off periods of five years:
- A brand licensing agreement according to which Ubisoft Entertainment SA granted Gameloft SE a
license for the use of brands belonging to it or for which it has been granted an operating license.
The brand license was granted in return for the payment of a license fee proportionate to the
revenue achieved by Gameloft SE;
- An agreement (i) on an exclusive and nontransferable license for the use and reproduction of
video games for iPhone and iPod Touch formats as well as (ii) a nonexclusive and nontransferable
license authorizing the reproduction of the trademarks and logos relating to the video games
subject to the exclusive license. The license was granted in return for the payment of a license fee
proportionate to the revenue achieved by Gameloft SE.
The details are given in the section on regulated agreements in part 5 of the financial statements.
78
Management Report 2013
The role and duties of the Compensation Committee and Strategy and Development Committee are
described below, as well as in the Chairman's Report, in accordance with Article L. 225-37 of the
French Commercial Code. Their responsibilities and powers are defined in the Board of Directors' by-
laws.
The Committees meet at the behest of their Chairman and may be called by any means. The
Committees may meet at any place and in any way, including by videoconferencing and
teleconferencing. They may only meet validly if at least half their members are present. Until it was
dissolved, the Strategy and Development Committee met at least twice annually. The Compensation
Committee must meet at least once per year.
The agenda of the meetings is set by their Chairman. The Committees report on their work to the
subsequent Board Meeting in the form of oral statements, opinions, proposed recommendations or
written reports.
The Committees may not unilaterally decide to discuss issues beyond the scope of their mission. They
have no decision-making power but only that of making recommendations to the Board of Directors.
The main tasks of these Committees are presented below:
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Management Report 2013
80
Management Report 2013
EXPIRED POSITIONS WITHIN THE GROUP (last 5 EXPIRED POSITIONS OUTSIDE THE GROUP (last 5
financial years) financial years)
82
Management Report 2013
FRANCE Expiry of term of office 03/31/16
GENERAL MANAGER of L’Odyssée Interactive Games Main position in the Company: Director
SARL
Main position held outside the Company: President of
ABROAD Estelle Métayer Strategy Inc. (Competia)
CHAIRMAN of Gameloft Software (Shanghai) Company (Ottawa/Canada) and Adjunct Professor at McGill
Ltd (China) University (Montreal/Canada)
DIRECTOR of Gameloft Ltd (Malta), Gameloft do Brasil OTHER POSITIONS OUTSIDE THE GROUP AS AT
Ltda (Brazil) 03/31/13
GENERAL MANAGER of Gameloft S.P.R.L. (Belgium) N/A
EXPIRED POSITIONS OUTSIDE THE GROUP (last 5
financial years)
Christian Guillemot
N/A
Director since 02/28/88
Expiry of term of office 03/31/13
Main position in the Company: Executive Vice President
and Director
Main position held outside the Company: Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Guillemot Brothers SA and
Chairman and Director of Advanced Mobile Applications
Ltd
OTHER POSITIONS WITHIN THE GROUP AS AT
03/31/13
ABROAD
DIRECTOR of Ubisoft Nordic A/S (Denmark)
OTHER POSITIONS OUTSIDE THE GROUP AS AT
03/31/13
FRANCE
GENERAL MANAGER of Guillemot Administration et
Logistique SARL
EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF Gameloft
SE, Guillemot Corporation SA
ABROAD
CHAIRMAN of AMA Studios SA (Belgium), SC AMA
Romania Srl (Romania)
DIRECTOR of Gameloft Live Developpements Inc.
(Canada), Guillemot SA (Belgium), Guillemot Inc.
(Canada), Guillemot Recherche et Développement Inc.
(Canada), Gameloft Inc. (Canada), Gameloft Iberica SA
(Spain), Gameloft Inc. (United States), Guillemot Inc.
(United States), Guillemot Ltd (United Kingdom),
Gameloft Ltd (United Kingdom), Guillemot Corporation
(HK) Ltd (Hong Kong)
JOINT GENERAL M ANAGER of Studio AMA Bretagne
SARL (France)
EXPIRED POSITIONS WITHIN THE GROUP (last 5
financial years)
ABROAD
VICE-CHAIRMAN of Ubisoft Holdings Inc. (United States)
DIRECTOR of Shanghai Ubi Computer Software Co. Ltd
(China), Ubisoft Holdings Inc. (United States), Ubisoft
Inc. (United States), Ubisoft Ltd (United Kingdom),
Ubisoft Sweden A/B (Sweden)
EXPIRED POSITIONS OUTSIDE THE GROUP (last 5
financial years)
N/A
Estelle Métayer
Director since 09/24/12
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Management Report 2013
In accordance with Article L. 225-102-1, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the French Commercial Code, a
breakdown of the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid to corporate officers over the
financial year appears below.
This chapter includes all information required by the French Commercial Code, along with the tables
recommended by the AFEP-MEDEF Code - or by the AMF on December 22, 2008 - giving the
information on compensation of corporate officers that should appear in registration documents.
Compensation granted to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and to the Executive Vice
Presidents, is set by the Board of Directors following a proposal by the Compensation Committee,
which bases its judgment on comparative studies of large firms and/or companies operating in the
same business sector.
Messrs Guillemot are remunerated for their positions as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice
Presidents. This represents a fixed portion of compensation.
In consideration - albeit very partial - of the responsibilities assumed and also the time spent in
preparing Board meetings and actively participating therein, the General Meeting of September 25,
2006 authorized the Company to pay directors' fees amounting to a maximum of €250,000 per annum.
The Board of Directors, exercising this authorization, established a fixed portion and a variable portion.
Half of the fixed portion of directors' fees is paid in January (for the period from January to June) and the
other half in July (for the period from July to December).
The variable portion is contingent on Board members attending meetings held between July 1 and June
30 and is paid in July. As a consequence, the amounts shown in the summary tables below concerning
the variable portion of directors’ fees correspond to the presence of directors at meetings of the Board of
Directors held between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012.
The General Meeting of June 27, 2013 will be asked to set the maximum amount for directors’ fees at
€370 thousand, owing to, on the one hand, the proposal for appointment of an independent director at
the next Meeting with the aim of appointing a third additional independent director in the short term
and, on the other hand, the compensation for members of the Audit Committee, which must be set up
by the end of November 2013.
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Management Report 2013
The total gross compensation paid by the Company to corporate officers during the financial year
amounted to €725 thousand.
During the 2012/2013 financial year, members of the Board of Directors received €195 thousand in
directors' fees.
No commitments have been made by the Company in favor of its corporate officers related to their
termination or change in responsibilities.
There are no agreements to compensate Board members if they resign or are dismissed without real
cause, or if their employment is terminated due to a public offering.
SUMMARY OF COMPENSATION, STOCK OPTIONS AND SHARES FOR EACH MANAGER AND CORPORATE
Table 1
OFFICER
Ubisoft
Other
03/31/12 Ubisoft
Other
03/31/12
Ubisoft
Other 03/31/12
companies companies companies
Table 2
SUMMARY OF THE COMPENSATION OF MANAGERS HOLDING CORPORATE OFFICES PAID BY THE ISSUER
AND BY ANY COMPANY (Article L. 233-16 of the French Commercial Code)
Yves Guillemot 03/31/12 03/31/13
Chairman and Amounts paid Amounts due Amounts paid Amounts due
(1) (2) (1) (2)
Chief Executive Officer in euros in euros in euros in euros
Gross fixed compensation before tax 500,004 500,004 500,004 500,004
Variable compensation - - - -
Extraordinary compensation - - - -
(3)
Ubisoft directors’ Fixed portion 20,000 20,000 20,000 20.000
fees Variable portion (4) 15,000 15,000 20,000 20.000
Benefits in kind - - - -
TOTAL 535,004 535,004 540,004 540,004
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Management Report 2013
Table 2
SUMMARY OF THE COMPENSATION OF MANAGERS HOLDING CORPORATE OFFICES PAID BY THE ISSUER
AND BY ANY COMPANY (Article L. 233-16 of the French Commercial Code)
(1)
All compensation paid to managers holding corporate offices for their duties over the year
(2)
Compensation awarded to managers holding corporate offices for their duties over the year, whatever the date of payment
(3)
Half of the fixed portion of directors' fees is paid in January (for the period January to June) and the other half in July (for the period July to
December)
(4)
The variable portion is paid in July and is contingent on Board members attending meetings held between July 1 and June 30 of the previous
year
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Management Report 2013
Pursuant to Article L. 225-43 of the French Commercial Code, no loans or advances were made to the
Company’s directors.
No share subscription and/or purchase options were granted to corporate officers during the year.
N/A
Past share purchase and subscription option grants, and the status of share purchase and
subscription options granted to the top 10 beneficiaries (not corporate officers), and the options
exercised by them over the year, appear in 3.3.2.4.
87
Management Report 2013
88
Management Report 2013
89
© 1995-2013 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Rayman, Driver, Just Dance, Tom Clancy, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell,
Splinter Cell Conviction, The Settlers, Far Cry, Rocksmith, Uplay Logo, Trackmania, Anno, Assassin’s Creed, Might and Magic,
Heroes, The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, Watch Dogs, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in
the U.S. and/or other countries.
© 2005-2011 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Based on Prince of Persia® created by Jordan Mechner. Ubisoft and
the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. Prince of Persia is a trademark of
Waterwheel Licensing LLC in the US and/or other countries used under license by Ubisoft Entertainment.
Myst® is a trademark of Cyan, Inc. and Cyan Worlds, Inc. under license to Ubisoft Entertainment.
Far Cry : Based on Crytek’s original Far Cry directed by Cevat Yerli. Powered by Crytek’s technology “CryEngine”.
Howrse and Owlient are trademarks of Owlient in the U.S. and/or other countries. Owlient is a Ubisoft Entertainment company.
Trials Evolution and RedLynx are trademark of Redlynx in the US and/or other countries. Redlynx is a Ubisoft Entertainment
company.
©2012 South Park Digital Studios LLC. All Rights Reserved. South Park and all elements thereof © 2012 Comedy Partners. All
Rights Reserved. Comedy Central, South Park and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Comedy Partners.
Game and Software © 2012 Ubisoft Entertainment. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. Certain technology © 2012
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. Obsidian and the Obsidian Entertainment logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
KINECT, Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and
are used under license from Microsoft.
"PlayStation", "PS3", "PlayStation Portable", "PlayStation 3", are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.
Nintendo, Wii, Wii U , Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2011 Nintendo.
Ubisoft Entertainment
French Corporation (Société Anonyme) with a Board of Directors
with capital of €7,444,215.30
Registered office: 107 avenue Henri Fréville
BP 10704 - 35207 Rennes Cedex 2
335 186 094 RCS Rennes
90