Ubisoft has confirmed the cancellation of three unannounced games following disappointing financial results for its most recent quarter, with the publisher’s troubled pirate adventure Skull and Bones also receiving a further delay.
Announcing the news, Ubisoft said it was facing “major challenges as the industry continues to shift towards mega-brands and long-lasting titles”, compounded by the underperformance of recent launches including Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023.
It said the resulting financial pressures have triggered a full review of its revenue prospects, leading to an “increased cautiousness over the coming years”. As a result, it has decided to cancel three unannounced projects, on top of the four games cancelled last July.
The publisher is also depreciating around €500m of capitalised R&D, and undergoing “targeted restructuring, divesting some non-core assets and usual natural attrition”. These measure are intended to strengthen Ubisoft’s “long-term growth and value-creation prospects”.
On top of all this, Ubisoft has announced yet another delay for its beleaguered multiplayer pirate game Skull and Bones. Originally revealed in 2017 and in development since 2013, the project’s launch has been repeatedly pushed back, most recently being moved from November 2022 to March 2023. It’s now expected to arrive “early” in the fiscal year 2023-24.
Ubisoft says this most recent delay will give it additional time to showcase “a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness”. It adds it believes players will be “positively surprised by its evolution”.
