Assassin's Creed Shadows
GameBy Ubisoft
Documents about Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft Defies Market: Making Games Means Building Audiences
Ubisoft is currently facing a significant structural crisis characterized by the cancellation of the free-to-play shooter XDefiant and the layoff of 277 employees.
- Ubisoft faces a potential 2025 privatization or dismantling after its share price dropped more than 50% year-over-year due to a lack of diversified revenue streams.
- The cancellation of XDefiant follows a rapid collapse in engagement, with Twitch viewership plummeting from a peak of 204,000 to 2,700 in just six months.
- Ubisoft’s subscription service ranks last in popularity in the UK, trailing behind Netflix Games and failing to capture the 36% of gamers who now utilize subscription models.
Ubisoft Financial Report: First Half of FY25
Ubisoft’s financial disclosures for the first half of fiscal year 2025 highlight the long-term commercial performance of its core intellectual properties.
- Ubisoft has six franchises that have each generated over €1 billion in player spending between September 30, 2014, and September 30, 2024.
- Assassin’s Creed leads the portfolio with approximately €4 billion in revenue, followed closely by Rainbow Six Siege with over €3.5 billion.
- Far Cry has generated over €2 billion in revenue, while The Division, Ghost Recon, and Just Dance round out the six franchises exceeding the €1 billion threshold.
Ubisoft H1 2024-25 Financial Results
Ubisoft’s financial results for the first half of fiscal year 2025 reveal a period of significant contraction and strategic realignment.
- Ubisoft reported a 19.6% decline in H1 FY25 revenue to €671.9 million and an operating loss of €271.8 million, compared to a €16.1 million profit in the same period last year.
- The company is investing an additional €20 million to polish Assassin’s Creed Shadows, delaying its release to February 14, 2025, to avoid the technical issues that hindered Star Wars Outlaws.
- Both Star Wars Outlaws and the free-to-play shooter XDefiant have underperformed against internal sales and retention targets.
Ubisoft in Crisis Mode (Again)
Ubisoft is currently navigating a significant corporate crisis characterized by lowered financial expectations, project delays, and an internal struggle to manage public perception.
- Ubisoft has delayed the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows from November 2024 to February 14, 2025, citing the need for further polish following the underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws.
- The company lowered its financial guidance for the fiscal year ending March 2025, reducing its net bookings forecast from €2.3 billion to €2.0 billion.
- Analyst estimates suggest that Star Wars Outlaws is underperforming initial sales expectations by approximately 2.5 to 3 million units.
The Assassin’s Creed Franchise on Live Streaming
The Assassin’s Creed franchise maintains its relevance in the modern gaming landscape by continuously evolving its gameplay mechanics and settings to capture audience interest.
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla remains the franchise's viewership peak, driving monthly hours watched to 30.1 million, likely due to its open-world RPG format and popular Norse setting.
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage generated 5 million hours watched and 114,000 peak viewers during its first week, though it underperformed compared to larger-scale titles like Starfield (27.9 million hours) and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (11.2 million hours).
- Pre-release interest for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is high, with 199,000 chat mentions on Twitch, bolstered by a 7,100-mention trailer release in May and a 5,800-mention gameplay demo in June.
Ubisoft Q1 2024 Financial Results
Ubisoft’s financial results for the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, ending June 30, 2024, demonstrate a period of growth that exceeded internal expectations.
- Ubisoft exceeded Q1 financial targets with €290 million in net bookings, an 8.3% year-over-year increase, driven by the launch of XDefiant and a strong back catalog.
- Total revenue for the quarter reached €323.5 million, representing a 12% year-over-year growth.
- XDefiant surpassed 10 million players within its first two weeks, becoming a primary revenue driver for the company.
Our Industry News (10/06/24 - 16/06/24)
The brief covers a week of industry activity from 10 to 16 June 2024, focusing on major events, legal developments and new releases.
- Valve faces a £656 million lawsuit in the UK alleging that Steam’s price-parity clauses suppress market competition.
- Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase outperformed Ubisoft’s Forward event, drawing 3.8 million YouTube views with a 14:1 up-vote ratio compared to Ubisoft's 568,000 views and sub-2:1 ratio.
- GameStop raised $2 billion in capital following a recent rally in its share price.
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