The French video game giant Ubisoft once again postponed the release of the next episode of the “Assassin’s Creed” saga on Thursday, now scheduled for March 20, which, combined with other disappointments, led it to lower its financial objectives.
(AFP / DIMITAR DILKOFF)
Faced with “lower than expected sales during the end-of-year holidays” of “Star Wars Outlaws” and the discontinuation of “XDefiant”, Ubisoft also indicated that it was studying “various transformative strategic and capital options, in order to extract the best possible value for stakeholders.
The manufacturer, which employed 18,666 employees worldwide at the end of September and around 4,000 in France, is the subject of takeover rumors which have multiplied in recent months, notably by the Chinese tech giant Tencent and the Guillemot family.
Several options would be on the table, including a buyout and an exit from the stock market.
“We have taken significant steps to reorganize the group in order to offer players the best possible experience, improve operational efficiency and maximize value creation,” CEO Yves Guillemot said in a press release.
The French publisher, which is playing big with the new episode of its biggest franchise, “Assassin’s Creed Shadows”, has decided to postpone its release by another month to “better integrate the feedback from players collected over the last three months , and to create the best possible conditions for the launch of the game,” added Mr. Guillemot.
-The release was initially scheduled for November 12, and had already been postponed to February 14.
The group also indicated that “net bookings” (its reference indicator, Editor’s note) for the third quarter of its 2024-2025 financial year (ended March 31) is now expected at around 300 million euros, compared to the 380 million initially planned.
This “primarily reflects lower than expected holiday sales, notably for Star Wars Outlaws”, as well as the December announcement of the discontinuation of its online shooter “XDefiant”.
This flop led to the elimination of 277 positions and the closure of three production studios, notably in San Francisco and Osaka.
Over the year, Ubisoft now expects “net bookings” of “around 1.9 billion euros”.
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