Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been delayed once more, with Ubisoft announcing the game is now set to launch on 20 March 2025. The change has been made to refine and polish the adventure, and to deliver a “high-quality, immersive experience – fostered by ongoing dialogue between [Ubisoft’s] players and development teams.”
The reality is that Assassin’s Creed Shadows needs to be the best game it can possibly be, after a string of financial disappointments heavily impacted Ubisoft’s bottom line. While the company has recently released strong titles in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and Star Wars Outlaws, many of these titles reportedly underperformed on expectations.
Its big live service bet, XDefiant, similarly achieved strong reviews on launch, but support for the game did not grow enough to sustain it in the long term. In December 2024, it was announced that XDefiant would be shut down, and that subsequently, several studios would be closed or have their headcount significantly reduced.
These developments have put Ubisoft in a very precarious position. Per a press release, it’s now taking “decisive steps to reshape the Group in order to deliver best-in-class player experiences, enhance operational efficiency and maximise value creation.”
Read: XDefiant set to shut down, several Ubisoft offices also set to close
To drive this change, the company has appointed “leading advisors” to “review and pursue various transformational strategic and capitalistic options to extract the best value for stakeholders.” This process will be overseen by the independent members of the company’s Board of Directors, and any changes will be announced “in accordance with applicable regulations if and once a transaction materialises.”
The wording suggests that while Ubisoft leaders previously expressed a desire to remain independent, internal and market pressures may lead to the company being sold. In October 2024, rumours suggested Tencent could be interested in purchasing the company, and we could see this come to fruition, following this strategic review.
Regardless of any potential purchase, Ubisoft will move forward with a cost-saving strategy in mind. In future, it plans to take a “high selective approach” to investments, and it also now expects to “exceed €200 million in reduction of its fixed cost base by FY2025-26 vs. FY2022-23.” This reduction in cost includes previously-announced employee layoffs, and studio shut downs.
As part of this cost-saving, and despite lower-than-expected holiday sales for titles including Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft expects to break-even for FY2024-2025. Net bookings for the financial year are at €1.9 billion, and include “new partnership opportunities for Ubisoft’s games and franchises as well as for the monetisation of the streaming rights acquired last fiscal year.”
In the coming months, it appears very likely Ubisoft will undergo extensive change, with a view to future-proof its business. Whether that means a buyout or other significant change remains unclear, but there’s likely much more to come on these developments.
