What happened to Ubisoft? A look at the downfall and how things can improve
A lot is going wrong for Ubisoft at this point. Let’s take a look at the downfall and how Ubisoft can get the “ball” rolling again.
Ubisoft’s Project Q has now been reportedly cancelled. The PvP battle arena game was announced less than a year ago in April 2022. They've already delayed Skull and Bones six times now and the recent comments by CEO Yves Guillemot haven't helped. Six games were cancelled in seven months, an underwhelming response to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, and recent controversial comments by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. A lot is going wrong for Ubisoft at this point. Let’s take a look at the downfall and how Ubisoft can get the “ball” rolling again.
So, we heard you heard... 🤷
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) April 23, 2022
Introducing codename “Project Q”, a team battle arena letting players truly own the experience! The game is in early development and we will keep testing, so for now all you can do is register for upcoming tests: https://t.co/TMRKwiUzbJ pic.twitter.com/hZ40OkPdum
Ubisoft CEO email controversy
Staff at Ubisoft has pushed back against Guillemot's recent statement about how the onus is on the employees to turn Ubisoft's situation around. Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot's email reportedly said (per Kotaku) that the upcoming games contribute to “the biggest pipeline in Ubisoft history”.
He urged his staff, "The ball is in your court to deliver this line-up on time and at the expected level of quality, and show everyone what we are capable of achieving.”
As the CEO faced backlash, he sent out another email to roll back on his statement and clarify its meaning. The email, as per Kotaku, reads, "I heard your feedback and I’m sorry this was perceived that way."
He added, "When saying ‘the ball is in your court’ to deliver our lineup on time and at the expected level of quality, I wanted to convey the idea that more than ever I need your talent and energy to make it happen."
Yves Guillemot ended his clarification by saying, "This is a collective journey that starts of course with myself and with the leadership team to create the conditions for all of us to succeed together.”
Success of Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Ubisoft currently finds itself in a rut and from the looks of it, their upcoming releases would really have to turn the fortune around for the company. Ubisoft has Star Wars open-world game in its pipeline, there's the delayed Skull and Bones game which will be released before it.
Ubisoft's most successful franchise is Assassin's Creed and if there's any positive that can be taken away from the franchise, it is that the franchise's fanbase holds the potential to really swing Ubisoft's situation in the right direction.
Over 20 million Vikings have embarked on their epic journey to Valhalla. Standing strong by Eivor's side. From Norway to England. To Mythical Realms of the Gods.
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) October 27, 2022
Thank you for taking this journey with us. SKAL! #AssassinsCreed pic.twitter.com/cQ1vegGbBq
Assassin's Creed Valhalla was the last title in the series and it was the most successful game in the franchise's history. Valhalla has sold over 20 million copies and by February 2022, the game made over $1 billion in revenue for Ubisoft.
Assassin's Creed Mirage can turn things around
Ubisoft currently has 4 Assassin’s Creed games in development. Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be the first to release and it arrives this year. The company heard the fans and decided to scale down the Creed experience and create a more traditional single-player experience, which essentially made the franchise what it is today.
Mirage holds the potential to really bring the franchise back to its roots and deliver. The upcoming game will be set in ninth-century Baghdad. It will have the origin story of Basim Ibn Is’haq. It’s a familiar face for those who’ve played Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
All Assassin’s Creed announced projects
Other projects in the pipeline include Assassin’s Creed Codename Red which is set in Feudal Japan. It will be an open-world RPG, once again looking to expand the horizons and depth of the Assassin’s Creed universe.
Further down the line, Ubisoft has Assassin’s Creed Codename Hexe in store. It will be set during the latter stages of the Holy Roman Empire and revolves around the witch trials, as per Bloomberg. The short teaser and reports suggest that the game will be one of the darkest in the series when it comes to the theme and setting.
Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade is the fourth title that’s in the franchise pipeline. It will be an open-world mobile game and it will look to bring the console gameplay experience to the mobile. There was leaked gameplay footage of Jade which does reflect how ambitious the title is and how much Ubisoft’s game has managed to close the gameplay gap between mobile and console. This game, set in Ancient China in 215 BCE, also looks very promising from what we’ve seen so far.
So, Ubisoft does have a lot to offer and each of these titles holds the potential to deliver success to the company.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope a lesson, rather than failure
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope was expected to perform better than its prequel. When the first game came out, it really hit the right nerve with Switch users. Perhaps with the mindset that the sequel would pretty much sell itself, Ubisoft did not market the game as well as they should have. The sequel has new features, characters, a bigger story arc and new features to the gameplay. It’s a decent improvement upon the first game but despite that, it failed to truly eclipse the response the first instalment garnered.
With the recent underwhelming response to Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope on Nintendo Switch, Ubisoft really does require one of these future games to swing the tide in their favour. There are several projects that are mentioned above which can turn things around.
It really is up to Ubisoft how well they can execute the plan they have in mind. Assassin’s Creed is a successful IP and all the cancellations of Skull and Bones have given the game publicity (be it good or bad). So, even Skull and Bones can be a live-service game that constantly brings in revenue for the company to improve upon their other projects.
