Following a recent Board of Directors meeting, Ubisoft has today revised its financial targets for FY2024-25. These updated projections reflect two key developments: a revision to their plans for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the softer-than-expected launch performance of Star Wars Outlaws. Both of these games have received announcements today.
Ubisoft has announced that Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which was originally scheduled for an earlier release, will now launch on 14 February 2025. According to Ubisoft, despite the game being feature complete, lessons learned from the Star Wars Outlaws release prompted the decision to allow more time for further polish. Ubisoft aims to meet high expectations by ensuring that the game delivers a compelling dual-protagonist adventure featuring Naoe and Yasuke, each offering distinct gameplay styles.
As part of this player-focused approach, Ubisoft is also moving away from the traditional Season Pass model for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. All players will have access to the full game upon release, and those who pre-order will receive the first expansion at no extra cost. Additionally, Shadows will mark the return of Ubisoft releases launching on Steam from day one.
On the subject of Star Wars Outlaws, the game’s initial sales have underperformed expectations. Ubisoft has acknowledged the need for further refinement. In response, the development team is working on updates to improve the player experience, aiming to boost engagement over the holiday period. Star Wars Outlaws will also launch on Steam on 21 November 2024.
Ubisoft’s Co-Founder and CEO Yves Guillemot addressed the company’s response to these challenges, stating:
Our second quarter performance fell short of our expectations, prompting us to address this swiftly and firmly, with an even greater focus on a player-centric, gameplay-first approach and an unwavering commitment to the long-term value of our brands.
Although the tangible benefits of the Company’s transformation are taking longer than anticipated to materialize, we keep on our strategy, focusing on two key verticals – Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences – with the objective to drive growth, recurrence and robust free cash flow generation in our business.
In the light of recent challenges, we acknowledge the need for greater efficiency while delighting players. As a result, beyond the first important short-term actions undertaken, the Executive Committee, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, is launching a review aimed at further improving our execution, notably in this player-centric approach, and accelerating our strategic path towards a higher performing model to the benefit of our stakeholders and shareholders.
Finally, let me address some of the polarized comments around Ubisoft lately. I want to reaffirm that we are an entertainment-first company, creating games for the broadest possible audience, and our goal is not to push any specific agenda. We remain committed to creating games for fans and players that everyone can enjoy.
