{"id":29449,"date":"2023-01-11T23:15:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T23:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/11\/ubisoft-delays-skull-and-bones-for-the-sixth-time-cancels-three-more-games\/"},"modified":"2023-01-11T23:15:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T23:15:28","slug":"ubisoft-delays-skull-and-bones-for-the-sixth-time-cancels-three-more-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2023\/01\/11\/ubisoft-delays-skull-and-bones-for-the-sixth-time-cancels-three-more-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Ubisoft delays Skull and Bones for the sixth time, cancels three more games"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Skull and Bones\u00a0<\/em>has been delayed for a staggering sixth time, Ubisoft has confirmed.<\/p>\n

The open-world pirate game was most recently set to release on March 9th, 2023, but Ubisoft says it\u2019s now simply slated to come sometime between now and early 2024.<\/p>\n

The move comes amid a turbulent period for the French publishing giant. In a press release, Ubisoft acknowledged that it\u2019s facing \u201cmajor challenges,\u201d including the cancellation of three unannounced games on top of the four it had axed last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The company also noted that its 2022 games \u2014 an unusually soft lineup that lacked new releases from such big franchises as Assassin\u2019s Creed\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0Far Cry <\/em>\u2014 \u201chave not performed as well as expected.\u201d Specifically, it points to the commercial underperformance of last fall\u2019s otherwise well-received Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope <\/em>and\u00a0Just Dance 2023<\/em>, the latter of which being the latest entry in a historically popular annualized franchise.<\/p>\n

As a result, the company is projecting a $537 million USD (about $721 million CAD) loss for the fiscal year ending in March 2023. This has led it to cut around $215 million USD (about $289 million CAD) in costs. According to\u00a0Kotaku<\/em><\/a>, these cost-cutting efforts include layoffs and renewing fewer contracts at some of the company\u2019s U.S. locations. It\u2019s unclear how this might affect any of the publisher\u2019s many Canadian studios, including Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto.<\/p>\n

Ubisoft\u2019s rough patch, in part, stems from its ever-evolving production pipeline. Over the past few years, the company has been pivoting towards live service titles that continue to bring in players over long periods. One of its older games, 2015\u2019s Rainbow Six: Siege<\/em>, has been one of the most popular multiplayer games on the market, with over 70 million registered players.<\/p>\n

While the company has still released some big-budget single-player games in the form of 2018\u2019s\u00a0Assassin\u2019s Creed Odyssey<\/em>, 2020\u2019s\u00a0Watch Dogs: Legion\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Assassin\u2019s Creed Valhalla\u00a0<\/em>and 2021\u2019s\u00a0Far Cry 6<\/em>, it\u2019s been putting more of an emphasis on live service titles. This includes\u00a0Assassin\u2019s Creed Infinity<\/em><\/a>, a future live service platform for multiple Assassin\u2019s Creed <\/em>games. Ubisoft even says it will be \u201cthe single entry point for fans into the\u00a0Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/em> franchise in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Ubisoft live service games in the works include the arena shooter\u00a0XDefiant<\/em> and The Division Heartland.\u00a0<\/em>Meanwhile, it\u2019s cancelled other online titles like\u00a0Hyperscape<\/em> and Ghost Recon Frontline.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

For now, though, the company said in an emergency investor call, via Kotaku<\/em>, that its release plans for the fiscal year beginning in April 2023 include Skull and Bones<\/em>,\u00a0Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora<\/em>,\u00a0Assassin\u2019s Creed Mirage<\/em> and at least one more big unannounced title.<\/p>\n

Source: Ubisoft<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n