Previous leaks claimed that Ubisoft is working on 11 Assassin’s Creed titles. And, while ambitious, Ubisoft has larger actual plans for the current fiscal year. Straight from the French publisher is info that it has at least 10 big AAA titles scheduled to come out before April 2024. But, that’s not all. One of them is an unnamed “large game” that the company refuses to name for some reason.
Ubisoft’s financial performance has been reasonably solid, with net bookings of €267.7 million, equivalent to approximately $297 million. Although this reflected a marginal 9% drop from the previous year, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, seeing the glass half full, called it a “better-than-expected performance.
Notably, this report revealed Ubisoft’s struggles with mobile gaming, which only contributed around $29.8 million, or 10% of total earnings – a minor decrease from 12% in Q1 2022.
The company’s forthcoming roster of games includes major releases such as Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Rainbow Six Mobile, The Division Resurgence, Just Dance 24 edition, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, Skull and Bones, The Crew Motorfest, XDefiant, and an enigmatic “large game,” as per their Q1 FY24 financial report.
Ubisoft has confirmed the launch dates of the aforementioned titles, with Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora scheduled for October 12 and December 7, respectively.
Interestingly enough, Ubisoft didn’t name Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade in the lineup. Either the mobile title, made in partnership with Level Infinite, isn’t a AAA title or it’s not coming out soon, contrary to earlier leaks.
The focal point of the earnings call, however, was the discussion surrounding the mysterious “large game” scheduled for a Q4 FY24 release. Executives stayed tight-lipped about the title, even when probed if the game could be Star Wars Outlaws, a title set for a 2024 release. Though some speculate that this could be the Splinter Cell remake, that game is still in early development, making this theory less likely.
Simultaneously, the idea of Star Wars Outlaws being the unconfirmed title isn’t improbable, despite Massive Entertainment, the studio behind Star Wars Outlaws, releasing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora before the end of the year. Normally, a studio is going to want to space out its different AAA titles by at least a year if not more. Then again, these desperate times call for desperate measures, and Ubisoft might think that it’s time to break convention by releasing AAA titles back-to-back despite the inherent risk that comes from such a move.
Of course, we shouldn’t forget the earlier leaks saying that a sequel to Immortals Fenyx Rising is in development and this “large game” could be yet another romp through a different set of mythological deities for Ubisoft.
The industry’s landscape was another significant topic discussed during the recent earnings call. Guillemot shared that the looming Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard demonstrates the value of Intellectual Properties. Given Ubisoft’s rich portfolio of IPs, this consolidation could potentially provide a significant value boost.
While Ubisoft has yet to officially confirm the mystery game, the upcoming line-up provides a diverse gaming experience a lot of fans worldwide will enjoy. The variety and breadth of these releases, from AAA blockbusters to mobile titles, is a sign of the company’s commitment to maintaining its position at the forefront of the gaming industry.
So, while Ubisoft has shown a slight dip in sales this quarter, the company’s future appears to be well-lit. It’s easy to see the reason why Guillemot expresses optimism for the future, pointing to the company’s focus on the biggest opportunities and significant cost reductions as key factors for increasing revenue, earnings, and cash flow in the coming years.
It’ll be interesting to see how the strategy pans out. Will Ubisoft continue to expand its horizons, and will the mystery game live up to the hype it’s unintentionally generating? Only time will tell.
