French video game company Ubisoft on Thursday reported net bookings slightly ahead of guidance for the third quarter, boosted by the performance of its new releases and "robust" sales of its catalog.

In the three months to December, the group behind the best-selling "Assassin's Creed" franchise posted net bookings of 626.2 million euros, compared with 610 million euros forecast. This result was partly due to the release of "Assassin's Creed Mirage", which boosted sales of the flagship franchise's back-catalog, Ubisoft said.

"This quarter was marked by positive momentum and marks the beginning of our turnaround," said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft, in a statement.

Ubisoft confirmed its financial targets for the full year, namely strong sales growth and non-IFRS operating income of around 400 million euros.

The group also stated that it expects a strong increase in net bookings in the fourth quarter, which should lead to an annual record.

In response to concerns raised by the UK competition regulator regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the latter agreed last August to sell its streaming rights to Ubisoft.

"This should improve the attractiveness of our subscription program," its CFO Frederick Duguet told reporters, adding that Ubisoft had discussed with a number of platforms the possibility of exclusive licensing of these rights.

"That's what we're in the process of doing, particularly this quarter since we'll be concluding a partnership on this theme," he explained.

The rest of Ubisoft's games line-up for 2023-24 will include the long-delayed "Skull & Bones", scheduled for release on February 16.

The group said it would unveil its full program for 2024-25 in May, which will include "Star Wars Outlaws" as well as new Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six titles. (Reported by Augustin Turpin, Dagmarah Mackos, edited by Kate Entringer)