Ubisoft’s downward spiral continues as inside sources claimSkull & Bones, its recent pirate game,cost almost triple the purported$200 million budget.
10 Best Assassin’s Creed Games Ranked
What Does It Truly Take To Be An Elite Assasin?
Alleged sources within Ubisoft told YouTuber Endymion thatSkull & Bonescost between$650 to $850 millionover its 10 years of production.
They added that thisinvestment and its non-profitability are causing the company’s financial ruin.
Released earlier this year,Skull & Bonesfaced criticismdue to its $70 price tag and lackluster world, graphics, and mechanics. Despite being called, bizarrely, a “quadruple-A game” by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, itfell short of 10 years of expectations.
Many players have notedthe difference in quality and “fun factor” between this game and Ubisoft’s successful pirate game,Assassin’s Creed:Black Flag.
A popular comparison has been the difference in water physics and graphics—Black Flagwas released in 2013.
The downgrade is perhaps due to thebloated development the game suffered. For 10 long years,rejected prototypes and delays left their besmirching mark on the game.As more time and money were pooled into the project,it had to be released, one way or another.
Ubisoft Singapore leading the development was arguably theonly reason the game had to be released. Thecompany received subsidies from the Singaporean government, which also mandated that the Singaporean branch of the French developer “must also launch original brand new IPs in the next few years.”
It’s too big to fail, just like the banks in the U.S.
-Ubisoft Developer
As of writing, the game has been true to its live service promises, in a way, andimproved in many areas that suffered at launch.However, with an all-time peak of2,615 players on Steam, it might be too late.
The Live Service Funerals Continue
If these rumors are true, they would explain Ubisoft’s recent cash and reputation loss. As 2024 comes to a close,Ubisoft’s standing as a big name in the industry is at its worst.
Their stock price - a weekly report, it seems - hasplunged to record lowsof $10.95 a share and has only gone back up to $11.71 as of writing.Employees are also expected to go on strikeafter the company issued a 5-day-a-week work-from-office policy.
A day before the policy update,management announced an internal investigationto align their execution to their ideals of “creating games for fans and players that everyone can enjoy.”
Ubisoft’s XDefiant At Risk of Shutdown Due to Low Player Count
With less than 20,000 concurrent players, XDefiant might just be shelved soon by Ubisoft, marking the end of another FPS game.
These financial losses—including revised net bookings of $371 to $392.2 million—have only compounded their declining reputation. What was once a giant of the industry has lost touch withthe gaming landscape and gamers.
A statement telling people to start “feeling comfortable with not owning your game” would perhaps feel at home in a dystopian novel.
Ubisoft’s director of subscriptions,Philippe Tremblay, said it. This angered most players, who have also had to battle Ubisoft Connect toplay games they apparently never owned.
Disconnected management, misplaced investments, and consistently ill-received releases have combined to guarantee that every dollar spent hits Ubisoft where it hurts.
The rumoredSkull & Bonesbudget is still just that, a rumor.If confirmed, Ubisoft’s reputation, and share price, will likely be hit even harder than it has.
Devolver Digital Unveils Big Fan Games Publishing Label
Devolver Digital has launched a new label, Big Fan Games, giving developers the freedom to make games based on movies, TV shows, comics, and more.
