Ubisoft To Address Polarized Comments In New Strategy

Ubisoft has reiterated its commitment to adopting a more player-focused approach in its game development. The company also announced that it is paying closer attention to the polarized feedback directed at both its games and its developers.

The publisher has been actively reevaluating some of its traditional practices regarding game releases, including the use of season passes, early access for specific preorders, and the prioritization of launching PC games on its own platform prior to Steam. Notably, it has since made Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Star Wars Outlaws available on Steam, while postponing the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows from November to February to allow for further refinement.

“Despite the challenges we’ve faced, we are committed to fundamentally transforming Ubisoft to restore the level of creativity and innovation that has contributed to our success while enhancing our delivery and reliability,” said CEO Yves Guillemot in a press release preceding the fiscal year 2025 financial call. “To thrive, we must intensify our focus on execution and foster a player-centric ethos in all our endeavors.”

Guillemot mentioned that these initiatives involve “addressing the dynamics behind the polarized feedback towards Ubisoft to safeguard the Group’s reputation and enhance our games’ sales potential.”

While he did not specify particular incidents, there has been significant discontent directed at the team behind Assassin’s Creed Shadows, especially concerning the portrayal of the historical Black samurai Yasuke as a main character.

In an interview on the Ubisoft website, Guillemot expressed concern over “malicious and personal online attacks” directed at Ubisoft staff and collaborators.

“I want to stress that we at Ubisoft denounce these hateful actions in the strongest terms possible, and I urge the rest of the industry and the gaming community to do the same,” he stated.

Additionally, Ubisoft acknowledged that Star Wars Outlaws did not perform as well as anticipated and is actively working on improvements to enhance the game’s quality. Several hotfixes and updates have been released to make the gameplay experience more enjoyable, particularly regarding stealth mechanics.

Ubisoft’s most lucrative franchises remain Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six Siege, the latter of which has seen impressive growth. Rainbow Six Siege has generated over 3.5 billion euros in revenue, trailing only the Assassin’s Creed series. Their live-service titles also perform strongly, with the Crew franchise standing out with 8 million active players in the last three months.

Interestingly, there has been little discussion regarding Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s pirate-themed RPG that launched earlier this year, particularly its performance. The company confirmed that the game’s fourth season is scheduled to launch by the end of 2024. Ubisoft has also made headlines with the recent release of an NFT game (via IGN) after announcing plans to invest in blockchain tech. The NFT platform Quartz premiered in 2021, featuring its first NFT cosmetics in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, although support was abandoned months later. The new title is called Champions Tactics, which debuted with minimal promotion this week. Notably, there is no mention of NFTs or blockchain in Ubisoft’s financial report.