GUILLEMOT CORPORATION: THIRD QUARTER 2024 TURNOVER UP 3%

Carentoir, October 31, 2024

THIRD QUARTER 2024 TURNOVER UP 3%

Unaudited data (€m)

                                                                                                                                                  2024               2023         Change

January 1 – September 30, 2024

Third quarter 2024 turnover came in at €36.5 million, up 3% year on year. Total turnover in the first nine months of the year was up 11%.

Sales of Thrustmaster products grew 16% over the first nine months thanks to a number of successful launches since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, Hercules sales were down 22%, mainly due to an unfavorable base effect compared with the third quarter of 2023, when volume sales of the brand’s flagship DJControl Inpulse T7 began, and increased competitive pressure. The Group has put in place a promotional action plan covering products that have seen a decline in sales.

A geographical breakdown of third-quarter sales shows 26% growth in North America, stable sales in Europe and the United Kingdom, and a 10% decline in sales in the rest of the world.

Thrustmaster news

➢    Racing: Thrustmaster has announced the official release of its first Direct Axial Drive racing wheel, T598. This new ensemble, consisting of the T598 racing wheel base with Axial Flux motor, Raceline Pedals LTE pedal set and Sportcar Wheel Add-On wheel rim, was unveiled on October 19 at the ADAC SimRacing Expo in Germany. Invitation-only gaming sessions were held for representatives of the trade press and members of the public using a number of cockpits equipped with the Thrustmaster T598 racing wheel. The trade press unanimously praised Direct Axial Drive’s technological advancement, which allows for remarkable new sensations at an unrivaled price point. In a recent video, the American website GT Planet — the largest hub for the Gran Turismo community — described T598 as “one of the most interesting and unusual sim-racing wheels to come out in quite some time”. Available since October 19 in the American chain of stores Best Buy, the new wheel will ship in China from midNovember and in Europe from late November.

Also at the ADAC SimRacing Expo, Thrustmaster unveiled its super high-end Hypercar Wheel Add-On detachable wheel rim. Inspired by luxury hypercars, it combines elegance with performance and will satisfy even the most demanding racers. The brand has made a genuine leap forward in the premium segment. Hypercar Wheel Add-On was also presented in the dedicated Forza Motorsport area of the Microsoft booth at Paris Games Week.

➢    Flight sim: Thrustmaster has launched its new T.Flight Hotas One Microsoft Flight Simulator Edition joystick for Xbox and PC. This new, officially-licensed special edition was unveiled at a recent Microsoft Flight Simulator press conference and will be available when the game is released on November 19. The AVA F/A-18 Super Hornet Flightstick joystick will further strengthen the AVA ecosystem.

➢    Farming: Keen to meet with members of the farming sim community, Thrustmaster staff attended FarmCon 2024 in Germany, organized by GIANTS Software (July 6–7), and Poznań Game Arena 2024 in Poland (October 25–27), where they promoted the SimTask range, focusing on SimTask Farmstick and T128 SimTask Pack, which deliver a totally immersive experience. In October, the Group began production of its SimTask Farmstick simulation joystick for game consoles ahead of the launch of Farming Simulator 2025 (the new entry in the GIANTS Software farming sim series, scheduled to launch on November 12, 2024).

➢    Gamepads: Thrustmaster launched its Hall effect range during the quarter. Mini-stick modules featuring the brand’s proprietary H.E.A.R.T. (Hall Effect AccuRate Technology) system, patented over ten years ago, have now been added to the ecosystem. The H.E.A.R.T. module is compatible with existing gamepad ranges, including ESWAP S and ESWAP X, X2 and XR.

Thrustmaster also recently announced the launch of its brand-new HEART Controller gamepad. Priced at €99.99, it boasts built-in magnetic sensors and H.E.A.R.T. technology, giving the gamepad exceptional precision and durability.

Hercules news: Hercules took part in the Music China 2024 trade fair, where it exhibited its DJ products. The show was a big success, giving the brand an opportunity to work with the Sample Music Festival and DJ Pro. In the fourth quarter, Hercules will launch complete packs for getting started in DJing with Hercules DJ Essentials Kit. This new pack, which includes DJControl Inpulse 300 Mk2, a pair of DJMonitor 42 monitoring speakers and HDP DJ60 headphones, will be available before the end of the year.

Financial position at September 30, 2024

At September 30, 2024, the Group had no net debt (with net debt excluding investment securities negative at €14.9 million). The fair value of the Group’s investment securities, consisting of 443,874 Ubisoft Entertainment shares, stood at €4.5 million at September 30, 2024.

Outlook

The Group expects to gain market share in the fourth quarter thanks to new product launches, and maintains its forecast of sales growth and a net operating profit for fiscal 2024.