Ubisoft has announced to investors that the company is revising down its projected earnings for the third quarter of 2024, following the delay in the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and lower-than-expected sales of Star Wars Outlaws. The company stated it has short-term plans to improve the situation.
For Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft plans to address player feedback, particularly focusing on combat and stealth mechanics criticized by players. The company aims to boost game sales in November by releasing the first DLC content, Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card, on November 21st on Steam simultaneously. This strategy aims to expand distribution channels for maximum reach and prepare for the holiday gaming season.
As for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, although the game is feature-complete, Ubisoft has learned from the Outlaws’ experience and decided to take more time to enhance the game further. The company is also implementing a new business model, discontinuing Season Passes to allow certain gamers early access and transitioning to a simultaneous release for all players on Steam as a Day 1 launch.
In the long term, Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized the company’s main goal of creating player-centric games with a gameplay-first approach. Ubisoft plans to focus on two main game categories: Open World Adventures and Games as a Service (GaaS) to ensure stable revenue growth.
The company’s management board, under the supervision of the board of directors, will review internal processes and improve them according to player-centric guidelines to deliver higher-value games that satisfy shareholders’ expectations. Guillemot affirmed that Ubisoft, as an entertainment-first company, aims to create games accessible to a broad audience without pushing any specific social agenda. The goal is to develop games that everyone can enjoy.
TLDR: Ubisoft adjusts earnings projections due to game release delays and lower sales than expected. Short-term plans include addressing player feedback for Star Wars Outlaws and refining Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Long-term focus on player-centric games and sustainable revenue growth through Open World Adventures and GaaS. The company aims to create games accessible to all without pushing specific social agendas.
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