On the strength of next-generation titles such as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and complemented with the success of Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids for the Nintendo Wii, Paris-based publisher Ubisoft announced that their sales figures shot up 24.4 percent ending the last fiscal year. This translates into a rise of earnings totaling US$ 917.1 million with a gross profit of US$ 123.6 million.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot says "the sharp improvement in our operating profitability in fiscal 2006-07 reflects the diversity and strong performance of our games portfolio. Ubisoft has laid the foundation for starting 2007-2008 in excellent conditions and is well-positioned to continue to gain market share and further increase its profitability in a high-growth sector."

In addition to the titles mentioned earlier, Ubisoft also makes money with updates and downloadable contents in the Xbox 360's Xbox Live online gaming platform. The cost of creating add-ons is much cheaper than creating stand-alone games, enabling the company to capitalize on the established base of the stand-alone title by selling players downloadable content.

In addition, Ubisoft is expected to set the bar even higher with the release of anticipated shooter Haze for the Sony PlayStation 3 later this year. Ports to the PC platform are also selling relatively well. We'll fill you in on more about Ubisoft when news is forthcoming.