Key Takeaways
- Ubisoft faces challenges after recent releases have underperformed.
- Ubisoft is looking to Assassin’s Creed Shadows to change the narrative surrounding it and its games.
Following the recent delay of the highly-anticipated Assassin’s Creed Shadows to February 2025, franchise head Marc-Alexis Coté spoke up about the state of the series and developer Ubisoft’s desire to change the narrative surrounding it. Ubisoft has faced turmoil following an underwhelming reception to its latest major release, Star Wars Outlaws ,and ongoing controversy regarding Assassin’s Creed Shadows and its perceived handling of historical events.
Ubisoft is one of the biggest names in the AAA gaming sphere, but recent events and lackluster reception to its latest games have put the company in a tight spot both financially and with fans. Star Wars Outlaws underperformed financially, according to the company itself, due in part to a launch marred with bugs requiring a day-one patch and myriad complaints from fans and critics about repetitive gameplay and paywalled content.
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Speaking on Ubisoft’s ongoing financial downturns and controversies surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows at a recent BAFTA event, as reported by Eurogamer, franchise boss Coté believes the company needs to “change the narrative” surrounding its major franchises. According to Coté, players have much higher expectations in the modern age of gaming, especially with the level of variety on offer, and Shadows is a seemingly perfect chance to prove that Ubisoft is still capable of meeting them.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Could be a Make-or-Break Moment for Ubisoft
In many ways, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is being pinned as a major resurgence for the series, with the last-minute delay seemingly a result of fan feedback from both the game’s trailers and Star Wars Outlaws. Coté claims that playtests for Shadows have shown major potential for the game when it comes to reinvigorating the series, but that more time was necessary to ensure the utmost quality in the wake of a major financial downturn.
Coté harkened back to the infamous launch of Assassin’s Creed Unity back in 2014, which was plagued with technical issues and game-breaking bugs that prevented fans from getting the experience Ubisoft seemingly intended. While the game eventually saw a slight reassessment from fans following major patches, its initial reception was dire and, as Coté states, still impacts how Ubisoft approaches its development.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has the potential to serve as a major turning point for the series and for Ubisoft overall, but it remains to be seen whether the delay to February 2025 is enough to deliver the quality fans have seemingly come to expect. In any case, though, the company is not showing any signs of slowing down its output, as recent rumors claim that the publisher plans to release an Assassin’s Creed title once every six months for the next decade.
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