PRESS RELEASE: BIGBEN: FIRST HALF 2023/24 SALES: €131.1 million

                                                Press release

      Lesquin, 30 October 2023, 18:00

FIRST HALF 2023/24 SALES: €131.1 million
CONFIRMATION OF 2023/24 GUIDANCE

Bigben Interactive (ISIN FR0000074072) today announces its consolidated sales for the first half of its 2023/24 financial year (period from 1 April to 30 September 2023).

Second quarter sales: €64.5 million

NACON Gaming’s sales in the second quarter of 2023/24 amounted to €32.3 million.

GAMING: Catalogue sales (new games) amounted to €7.5 million as opposed to €10.5 million in the year-earlier period. The change was due in particular to the high base for comparison (with Steelrising^TM released in the second quarter of 2022/23), since only two games were released at the end of the quarter: Overpass2^TM and AD Infinitum^TM.

As predicted, the back catalogue (games released in previous years) returned to growth with sales up 5.2% at €9.3 million.

ACCESSORIES: The upturn in the global accessories market seen in the first quarter of Bigben’s financial year was confirmed in the second, due to growth in the installed base of new consoles and excellent headset sales in the United States, where distributors are expecting strong sales at the end of the calendar year.

Bigben AudioVideo/Telco generated sales of €32.2 million in the second quarter.

MOBILE ACCESSORIES: Despite a significant contraction in the smartphone market, the mobile accessories business remained resilient with sales of €24.3 million, a slight decrease of 3.8%. This performance confirms the wisdom of the premium strategy that the Group has been pursuing since 2015.

AUDIOVIDEO: Sales in this business totalled €7.9 million in the second quarter, versus €8.2 million in the year-earlier period. Audio sales rose 3.5% to €5.0 million, driven by the strong market position of Bigben’s product ranges and the good performance of new listing channels. Video sales amounted to €2.9 million, down from €3.3 million a year previously because of the changeover to HEVC technology in Italy.

Outlook for 2023/24 : Strong growth expected in the second half

NACON has a busy release schedule for the third quarter.

• Astérix & Obelix: Heroes ^TM and Cricket 24: Official Game of the Ashes ^TM came out on 5 October. Cricket 24 is the first cricket video game to feature such a large number of licensed teams, including the biggest Indian franchises. Initial sales are already very good.
• Robocop: Rogue City ^TM has achieved record presales. It will be available from 2 November 2023 on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
• Gangs of Sherwood ^TM will be released on 30 November on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and has received good previews.
  
  

The back catalogue should continue to see rising sales despite a high base for comparison.

The Accessories business will grow, driven by the installed base of new consoles and the release of some very promising new products in October:

• Revolution 5 Pro controller: this is a premium controller officially licensed by PlayStation^® and intended for PS5^®, PS4^TM and PC gamers. It is regarded as one of the best controllers in the market, combining design, ergonomics and innovations including Hall Effect technology, which gives greater precision to the joysticks and triggers. Initial sales are very promising.
• RIG 600 PRO gaming headset: offering excellent value for money, this wireless headset has dual-connection technology, allowing users to connect to both their PC/console and mobile phone.

The fourth quarter will also have a strong line-up of new releases with several games slated to come out, particularly Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown ^TM.

In the third quarter of its financial year, Bigben AudioVideo/Telco will also benefit from the release of several products in its Force range, including Force Play 2 wireless speakers, which feature the latest technology and offer optimal value for money. In the Audio segment, trends remain positive and growth is set to continue, especially for the new Thomson Cosy range.

Given the upturn in sales expected for NACON in the second half and the positive outlook for Bigben AudioVideo/Telco sales, the Group confirms its outlook for strong growth in sales and operating income in its 2023/24 financial year.

Next key event:

First-half 2023/24 results
Monday 27 November 2023: Press release after the market close
Tuesday 28 November 2023: SFAF analyst meeting

Attachment

• CP_BBI_CAT2 23-24 Diffusion English