Both THQ and Ubisoft have now learned a valuable lesson: The casual market may be good for a quick infusion of cash and a high initial ROI on a product, but in the long run it's the core gamers who will be carrying your bottom line across console generations.

Ubisoft profits in 2012, 'core gamers' drive rise in sales

Ubisoft ended the 2012 financial year on the up, reporting a gross profit of €718 million ($917 million) and sales up 2.1 percent to €1 billion ($1.4 billion) year-over-year, according to its financia…