ubisoft (photo: official website, ubisoft)
For anyone who was expecting a new Ubisoft title, we have some bad news: the company has canceled three yet-to-be-announced titles, and postponed the pirate game Skull and Bones, which was supposed to be released in March of this year.
This is already the sixth time the game has been postponed, and now its launch date has apparently been pushed back to the end of this year or the middle of 2024.
Ubisoft announced the cancellations and postponement in response to the latest quarterly financial reports, and it turns out that sales of new games in 2023 were lower than originally expected. In a blow released by CEO To the company, Yves Guilmont, to the employees, he pointed out that Biosoft "faces great challenges, while the industry is changing in the direction of huge brands and long-term titles that reach all players around the world, on several platforms and business models".
Skull & Bones postponed until next year (photo: official website, Ubisoft)
In recent years, Ubisoft has placed much more emphasis on its well-known brands, developing sequels for them, including mobile versions of games such as Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six and The Division.
Another aspect that Ubisoft plans to expand its touch in is the world of television, and it has already announced a collaboration with Netflix to create a television adaptation of Assassin's Creed.
In the letter published by Guillemont, he explained that the new projects have not yet been launched and the investment has not yet returned, and with the low sales of titles such as Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Just Dance this year, she realized that she had to consider her steps in the future.
The report detailed 3 main steps: Ubisoft will continue to invest its efforts in building its brands and developing Live Service games. That is, in a game model with a digital store and micro-purchases. This led it to the decision to release three new titles before they were even announced, in addition to the four games it canceled last July
As a result, it is expected to suffer losses totaling 537 million dollars for research and development costs on all canceled projects.
It also plans an extensive wave of layoffs and the implementation of a "focused restructuring."
The plan is to recruit key people who will oversee the big brands she plans in the future.
It was also promised to cut 215 million dollars in expenses over the next two years.
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Assassin's Creed is on its way to Netflix.
In addition to its mobile version and other Ubisoft brands (photo: official website, Netflix)
Guillemont also sent an email to the company's employees in which he claimed that "the ball is in their hands" so that they can get back on track, and he needs full commitment from everyone to make sure that the company works at maximum efficiency: "These are the biggest launches in Ubisoft's history, let's show everyone what we are capable of achieving And we will provide high-quality titles at a high level and on time."
The CEO noted.
There's no doubt that Ubisoft has seen better days, in every possible aspect. The last two years have not been particularly fruitful, and the only big games it released were Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Far Cry 6, and they didn't have the past glory of their predecessors either.
Ubisoft has also known serious scandals this year, and company executives have been accused of covering up sexual harassment complaints made by female employees of the company.
With all the sales blitz of 2022, there have also been quite a few rumors that Ubisoft will be the next distributor to be acquired in the industry.
Among the potential buyers, the name of the Chinese gaming giant Tencent came up, but Yves Guillemont stated that they have no intention of selling the business.
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