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Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated that he expects the publisher to benefit from the best software line-up in the history of the company, thanks to new brands such as Haze, the recently announced EndGame and anticipated action title Assassin's Creed.

The comments come after the publisher revealed its fourth quarter sales for 2006-07 rose over 37 per cent from EUR 144 million to EUR 197 million. Full year sales for 2006/2007 were up just under 25 per cent to EUR 680 million.

"In 2007-08, Ubisoft will have the best line-up in its history with the launch of seven franchises including Brothers in Arms and Splinter Cell; six new brands, including Assassin's Creed, EndWar and Haze; and four licensed games, including Surf's Up, Lost and Naruto," commented Guillemot.

After success with titles for the recently launched Nintendo Wii, and the company's first serious entry into the casual market, the publisher intends to pursue an aggressive growth strategy.

"We intend to reap the full benefits of the ramp-up of new generation consoles and grow, again this year, our presence in the casual market on Wii and Nintendo DS systems," said Guillemot.

"Ubisoft should continue to win market share and significantly boost its profitability in 2007-08."

Confident of its software line-up, Ubisoft has raised sales targets for 2007-08 to EUR 800 million, compared with the previous forecast of 750 million.

The publisher expects the first quarter of 2007-08 to account for a large proportion of sales, driven by movie tie-in Surf's Up, eight new Wii and DS titles and the PS3 release of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas.

The company hopes to see further success in building strong franchises and exploiting established IP, as well as ramping up its use of external development studios.

Highlights from the last fiscal year include 1.1 million units sold for TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1 million copies of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, 1.7 million units of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and 950,000 copies of Wii title Red Steel.

"Our investment in games for the Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS systems has paid off and we have successfully broken into the casual games segment with the Petz series of games," added Guillemot.

"Above and beyond the recognised quality of our internal development studios, this year has confirmed the increasingly important role of our publishing and third-party development divisions." ...

Microsoft has announced a reduction in losses for its entertainment and devices division, but also a fall in revenues - which the company is attributing to lower Xbox 360 sales.

During the three months ending March 31 the E&D division made an operating loss of USD 315 million (EUR 232 million), compared to USD 402 million for the same quarter last year. Microsoft said the loss was due to costs related to the launch of media player Zune and expenses incurred by extending the warranty for Xbox 360.

Revenues were down from USD 1.2 billion to USD 929 million (EUR 683 million) - a drop of 21 per cent. According to Microsoft, the fall was due to "decreased Xbox 360 sales".

The company shipped 500,000 consoles during the period versus 1.7 million in Q3 2006, which was the first full quarter the console was on the market. The total number of Xbox 360s now shipped stands at around 11 million.

Sales of Xbox and PC software were also lower, down by 44 per cent to reach USD 393 million (EUR 289 million).

However, the picture is brighter when looking at the first nine months of the financial year for the E&D division. Overall, Xbox 360 console, peripheral and software sales were up, as were sales of Zune - resulting in a 42 per cent year-on-year increase in revenues to USD 4.9 billion (EUR 3.6 billion)

During the same period operating losses fell by 20 per cent to reach USD 693 million (EUR 510 million). Microsoft said this was due to the rise in 360 sales along with improved margins for the console.

The company expects a rise in revenue during the coming financial year, thanks to an increase in sales of Zune and wide availability of Xbox 360 leading to higher console sales.

Overall, Microsoft Corporation posted Q3 revenues of USD 14.4 billion (EUR 10.6 billion) - a year-on-year increase of 32 per cent. Net income stood at USD 4.93 billion (EUR 3.62 billion), while operating income was at USD 6.59 billion (EUR 4.84 billion). The company attributed the results to the releases of Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.

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Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has admitted that the company failed to accurately predict demand for Wii, confirming that production of the console is now being ramped up.

As reported by the Associated Press, Iwata told reporters, "We must do our best to fix this abnormal lack of stock. We have not been able to properly foresee demand."

Iwata declined to discuss how many Wii units are being manufactured each month - or figures for increased production. However, he did say that deliveries will be increased by next month, adding, "We will do our best to offer the machine for those who are waiting."

The Nintendo president also confirmed that the company is producing 2.5 million DS units per month - the highest ever rate of manufacture for a Nintendo console.

Iwata's comments came just a day after Nintendo announced record financial results for the year ending March 31. The company posted a 77 per cent rise in profits, which it attributed to high sales of the Wii and DS.

A Nintendo spokesperson yesterday confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that Wii production is set to increase, stating, "We have put solid production plans in place to ensure a steady flow of product through 2007."

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Leading High Street retailer GAME is refusing to stock copies of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the PlayStation 3.

The title, developed by Bethesda and published on the Sony console by Ubisoft, is not available in any of the company's 400 UK and Ireland stores.

The title has seen considerable success on the Xbox 360 and PC, selling over three million units and winning numerous awards including gongs from the American Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and the UK's BAFTAs.

The PS3 version of the game goes on sale today in Europe, but chart success is likely to be hampered by not being stocked in the UK's leading specialist store.

Neither GAME or Ubisoft were available to comment at the time of writing.

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Microsoft's chief financial officer, Chris Liddell, has confirmed that the company expects platform exclusive Halo 3 to boost Xbox 360 sales when the game hits the shops later this year.

Speaking in a conference call following the publication of Microsoft's Q3 financial results, Liddell said, "Halo 3 is clearly going to have a positive impact in two senses. One, it gives us more confidence in the number of consoles we think we're going to be able to sell next year.

"In terms of the direct impact, obviously it's a first-party product so it's reasonably profitable from our point of view, and it will be several hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue next year."

As confirmed last month, Halo 3 is due to launch in the autumn. A key product in Microsoft's 2007 software line-up, it's highly likely to boost Xbox 360 sales - which decreased during Q3 and caused a drop in revenues for the company's entertainment and devices division.

"Sales during the quarter in terms of sell-in were around 500,000 consoles. Sell-through was higher than that, so our inventory levels did come down to normal levels," Liddell said.

"We did see a good inventory movement during the course of the quarter."

When asked if there were any competitive changes during the quarter with regard to Sony and Nintendo, Liddell replied, "No, nothing of significance. We're obviously very happy from a competitive point of view with the response in the marketplace, but nothing of significance."

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MumboJumbo, a leading publisher of premium casual games, today announced that the popular 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, which was previously released on PC, is now available for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. This exciting action-adventure puzzler from developer Hot Lava lets gamers re-create history as they match magical runes to help workers build legendary landmarks of the ancient world such as the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

"The PSP system is a great home for the addictive gameplay of 7 Wonders of the Ancient World," said Brian Garrison, Vice President of North American Sales at MumboJumbo. "Puzzle games and portability are a fantastic match for each other, and now people can enjoy playing this great game whether they're at home or on the road."

7 Wonders of the Ancient World lets gamers explore ancient lands through three modes of play - Story, Free Play, and Rune Quest - that cover more than 140 levels and three modes of difficulty. Collect eye-popping powerups like the Lightning Bolt or Fire Bomb to help you in your race against the clock, and learn about history while having fun! 7 Wonders of the Ancient World is rated E for "Everyone" and has an MSRP of $19.99; it is available at retailers nationwide, including CompUSA, GameStop, Sony Stores, and Toys R Us. ...

The Championship Gaming SeriesTM (CGS), the first global professional gaming league, today announced that worldwide salaries and bonuses for the 2007 season will exceed $5 million, a new benchmark for professional gaming.

CGS has also announced the official games and schedule in its North American region for 2007. Qualifying for North American league play will begin April 28 and the first draft in history will take place on June 12 at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

“This is the moment the gaming world has been waiting for,” said CGS Commissioner Andy Reif. “We will be paying salaries and bonuses to our players in excess of $5 million dollars during the 2007 season. The time has come for a new era of professional gaming as sports entertainment. Your chance to be a part of history starts on April 28.”

Valve’s Counter-Strike®: Source® and EA’s FIFA 2007 will be official PC games for 2007. For the Xbox 360, CGS will feature Tecmo’s Dead or Alive® 4 (DOA4) and Project Gotham Racing® 3 (PGR3) from Microsoft Game Studios.

The official CGS 2007 event schedule will feature online and live qualifiers where players will battle to reach the Regional Combine, scheduled to take place at the legendary Fox Studios in Los Angeles from June 8-10.

Players from the Regional Combine will then be drafted onto one of six city-based teams at the 2007 CGS Draft on June 12 at the Playboy Mansion. CGS online qualifiers for the North American region begin on April 28, 2007 with the first live qualifier to be held at The Bridge Cinema de Lux in Los Angeles on May 11-12.

Each CGS team will feature a total of ten athletes per team, each of whom is a specialist in one of the official league games. Five of the ten players will comprise a Counter-Strike: Source squad who will compete in five-on-five matches. The soccer title FIFA 07 will be played one-on-one. Each team will have a mixed-double team of two DOA4 players, one man and one woman, who will play against other teams in one-on-one matches on Xbox 360. The racing game PGR3 will be represented by two players on each team and matches will be played in a two-versus-two format.

Soon-to-be announced dates for the full global slate of 2007 CGS events in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin America, and the Middle East will yield regional representatives for the CGS Grand Slam and World Championships, to be held in Los Angeles this October.

CGS events will be broadcast in North America on DIRECTV’s The 101. For more information, please go to www.thecgs.com. ...

System 3 today announced the launch of Power Play Pool exclusively the Nintendo DS™ handheld gaming system.

With an ultra-realistic 3D engine, Power Play Pool thrusts players into the highly-skilful world of championship pool. Utilising a super-quick 3D view point, players can view the gaming table from any aspect ensuring fantastic shots and allowing players to examine any angle to get out of snookers.

Power Play Pool supports two players on one or two machines and includes an incredible two-player download play mode wi-fi mode. Take part in cup and league tournaments and chose from 16 world-class players each with their own skill sets and levels of ruthless play. Numerous different game rules can be employed including; UK or American rules, nine and eight ball games and Killer. The game was designed especially for the Nintendo DS and the developers have designed a very intuitive control system.

UK Sales Manager, Luis Ferreira added, "This is a storming little game for the DS and I'm confident it will be a great success for us in 2007. We've seen from previous successes in the handheld market that games that offer something different really work and Power Play Pool hits the spot."

Power Play Pool for Nintendo DS is expected to retail at £19.99

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This week Virtual Console allows you to take on the street thugs of Metro City. Based in the same universe as the Street Fighter games, Final Fight is a much loved side-scrolling beat-em up, originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Following the exploits of the Mayor of Metro City, as he takes the law into his own hands to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Final Fight features all the elements of a great fighting title, including sinister bosses to devastating special attacks. Final Fight smashes its way onto the Virtual Console for 800 Wii Points.

Next up among this week’s retro offerings is 1992 action title Mighty Bomb Jack™, originally available on the Nintendo Entertainment System. When the entire royal family is kidnapped and imprisoned within a pyramid by evil demon Belzebut, it is up to Jack to use his powers and set them free. With sixteen levels full of nasty enemies and perilous traps to overcome, Mighty Bomb Jack will keep even the most seasoned gamer perched on the edge of their seat for hours on end. Mighty Bomb Jack is available to own now for 500 Wii Points.

Rounding off this week’s offering is Turbografx title Battle Lode Runner®. This classic game features both a ‘Puzzle Mode’, where players must collect gold bars while avoiding enemies and a ‘Battle Mode’, which can be played by up to five players. With the addition of a level editor, Battle Lode Runner is available for 600 Wii Points.

These great games will join the list of 78 classic titles already available for the Virtual Console in Europe. ...