TIDMFDEV
RNS Number : 6761U
Frontier Developments PLC
27 November 2023
27 November 2023
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION
Frontier Developments plc
Business Update
Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV, 'Frontier' or the
'Company'), a leading developer and publisher of videogames based
in Cambridge, UK , provides a business update ahead of the
important December trading period.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
On 17(th) November 2023 Frontier released real-time strategy
game Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin ('Realms of Ruin') on
PC via Steam, Epic, Genba and Heybox, and on PlayStation(R)5 and
Xbox Series X|S. We were pleased to see at launch that Realms of
Ruin received mostly positive reviews from game critics and from
players, however, sales to date have been lower than expected. With
the December trading period approaching, and Frontier continuing to
evolve and support Realms of Ruin with post-release content,
including PDLC ('paid-downloadable content'), we expect sales to
build over time.
Refocusing on CMS (creative management simulation) games
Frontier's move to diversify its game portfolio during the last
five years, including through third-party publishing and new games
in 'adjacent genres', has not delivered the anticipated success. As
a result, the Company has refocussed on CMS games which have
delivered stronger and more predictable returns through Frontier's
expertise and leadership in that genre.
The Company's four CMS games (Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo,
Jurassic World Evolution and Jurassic World Evolution 2) continue
to perform well and have each achieved over $100 million of gross
revenue with a combined total of over $500 million. All four games
achieved profitability within one month of release and delivered
over 100% return on investment within 12 months of release. The
three games which have been in the market for four years or longer
- Planet Coaster, Jurassic World Evolution and Planet Zoo - have
all achieved a cumulative return on investment of over 250%.
Frontier is therefore pleased to confirm three future CMS games
with one releasing in each of the next three financial years -
FY25, FY26 and FY27. Alongside this we will continue to develop and
support our portfolio of existing games, including Elite Dangerous,
our F1(R) Manager franchise, and Realms of Ruin.
Outlook
Following the lower than expected sales performance of Realms of
Ruin, the Board no longer believes that the current market
expectation for FY24 revenue of around GBP108 million is likely to
be achieved. Updated guidance is for FY24 revenue in the range of
GBP80-95 million, with the outcome dependent on sales performance
across Frontier's game portfolio during the remainder of the
financial year, including the revenue contributions from new
platform releases for existing games.
Despite the reduction in revenue guidance, the Board believes
that the current market expectation for an Adjusted EBITDA* loss of
around GBP9 million in FY24 remains achievable towards the
upper-end of revenue guidance, as a result of the cost savings
achieved through the Organisational Review and an improved gross
profit margin percentage driven by revenue mix. The Organisational
Review continues to make good progress and is delivering cost
reductions in line with expectations.
The Board expects Frontier to at least break even in FY25
through the ongoing performance of the existing portfolio of games,
revenue contributions from future releases including the CMS game
scheduled for FY25, and the 20% operating cost reductions from the
Organisational Review.
Frontier continues to be well capitalised, with a cash balance
at 31 October 2023 of GBP20.5 million. That cash figure excludes
the fee from Microsoft for F1(R) Manager 2023 entering the Game
Pass subscription service during October.
Board changes
David Wilton, our Chairman over the last twelve months, has
decided to step-down from the Board to concentrate on other
interests. Ilse Howling, Non-Executive Director, has stepped up to
take on the role of Chair, supported by Leslie-Ann Reed's promotion
to Senior Independent Director.
David Braben, President and Founder, said
"I'd like to thank David Wilton for his contribution during a
turbulent and difficult year for Frontier, and particularly for his
help with the complex task of restructuring through the ongoing
organisational review. I'd also like to thank Ilse for stepping up
to the role of Chair."
Jonny Watts, Chief Executive Officer, said
"I am pleased to confirm a third creative management simulation
(CMS) game on our development roadmap. I am confident that our
renewed focus on CMS will return Frontier back to profitability,
deliver stimulating games to our players, and provide rewarding
opportunities for our people. I'd like to thank our people and our
shareholders for their patience and support as we go through a
challenging period of change."
* Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax,
depreciation, and amortisation charges related to game developments
and Frontier's game technology, less investments in game
developments and Frontier's game technology, and excluding
impairment charges, share-based payment charges and other non-cash
items.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, as
it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union
(Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended). This announcement is issued on
behalf of the Company by Alex Bevis, CFO.
Enquiries :
Frontier Developments +44 (0)1223 394 300
Jonny Watts, CEO
Alex Bevis, CFO
Peel Hunt - Nomad and Corporate Broker +44 (0)20 7418 8900
Neil Patel / Paul Gillam / James Smith
Liberum - Joint Corporate Broker +44 (0)20 3100 2000
Max Jones / Nikhil Varghese
Teneo +44 (0)20 7353 4200
Matt Low / Alex Dart
About Frontier Developments plc
Frontier is a leading independent developer and publisher of
videogames founded in 1994 by David Braben, co-author of the iconic
Elite game. Frontier uses its proprietary COBRA game development
technology to create innovative genre-leading games, primarily for
personal computers and videogame consoles.
Frontier's LEI number: 213800B9LGPWUAZ9GX18.
www.frontier.co.uk
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