Star Wars Outlaws' poor sales affect

Delays, profit restatements, internal probes… Ubisoft is in chaos from ‘Star Wars’

The mediaeval Japan-set ‘Assassin’s Creed‘ sequel was delayed by Ubisoft due to weak sales of the open-world game based on George Lucas’ galactic franchise, ‘Star Wars: Outlaws’ A disastrous domino effect that raises questions about the franchise’s future and ‘Star Wars’ appeal.

Japanese samurai abroad. ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ launch has been delayed from November 15 to February 14 next year. The reason: “softer than expected” ‘Outlaws’ sales. When the game hit stores on August 30, many players complained about unbalanced difficulty at different infiltration levels. In an internal statement, Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot said it will launch “a series of updates to polish the player experience in order to attract a large audience during the holiday season and position it as a high-performing game in the long term.”

AC promises. Ubisoft says “The game is finished, but ‘Star Wars: Outlaws’ taught us to polish it more. This will allow the franchise’s biggest entry to fully realise its ambition, especially by fulfilling our dual-protagonist adventure with Naoe and Yasuke’s very different play styles.” Thus, Ubisoft will not tolerate another poorly balanced game.

Lower expectations. Ubisoft also adjusted its fiscal year financial forecast. Full-year net revenue is €1.95 billion, and second-quarter revenue is €350-370 million. The French firm anticipated €500 million. Again, “our second quarter results did not meet our expectations,” Yves Guillemot said.

In-house investigation. Ubisoft has launched an internal investigation to find causes beyond the ‘Star Wars’ game’s failure, which must worry it. They say “beyond the first important short-term actions undertaken, the Executive Committee, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, is launching a review aimed at further improving our execution, especially in this player-centric approach, and accelerating our strategic path towards a higher performance model.”

What about Star Wars? Ubisoft has also exhausted a seemingly invincible franchise. A future game with the same protagonists or setting (scoundrels and smugglers) is unlikely, but it would hurt the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. Will a saga sandbox be released soon? Has it tarnished the series’ infallibility after EA’s ‘Star Wars: Jedi’ successes? Will this universe see Ubisoft? Questions that are too soon to answer but will cloud the franchise’s blockbusters.

Star Wars Outlaws trailers raised my expectations. It was the game I wanted—a Star Wars story set in the streets with rogues and thieves instead of Jedi and Sith. As close to the streets as a sci-fi game can get. My spirits plummeted when the game arrived. It’s not a bad game, but it’s not what I expected.

It has great potential, but Ubisoft’s branding made many sections feel like playing on rails. Choice feels completely absent. After realising the AI is dumb, infiltrating enemy bases is boring, the criminal factions are bland, and space travel is muted and closed.

However, Kay Vess is a fun protagonist, Nix is a great sidekick, and the Star Wars tone is expansive and thrilling. Star Wars Outlaws was developed by Massive Entertainment, but Ubisoft oversaw it, and their influence is everywhere.

I worry about Assassin’s Creed Shadows. At 17 years old, the Assassin’s Creed series has 13 mainline titles. The franchise broke its own mould with the RPG trilogy of Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, but the formula has stagnated and feels only driven by new characters, city settings, and a loose story.

We saw a Star Wars makeover, but the game mechanics are stale and need a refresh. Assassin’s Creed Mirage tried this by shrinking the city and reducing gadgets and side missions, but the template stuck.

This strategy of using the same mechanics in different places no longer works. Assassin’s Creed Shadows excites me for its dual protagonists and Japanese setting, but am I setting myself up for disappointment after playing half of Star Wars Outlaws and feeling burned out? Will Ubisoft surprise me with something innovative?

Trying to remember Ubisoft’s details so far. Summer leaves on trees and bushes make stealth through sections easier, adding another dimension to enemy infiltration. Although the two protagonists’ fighting styles should keep combat fresh, I thought blasters and droids would help Star Wars Outlaws.

As with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, I hope the world we explore is engaging enough to get me through any rough spots. Because of Ubisoft’s meticulous design, 9th-century Baghdad was lush to explore. If 16th-century Japan had this level of care and organic side missions, I might survive.

After playing Star Wars Outlaws, I’m lowering my expectations. I wanted Ubisoft to bring their Assassin franchise into the future with technological tools and more intriguing features, but after seeing their template underneath a sci-fi epic, I don’t think they have any magic left.

Star Wars Outlaws’ poor sales affect

Delays, profit restatements, internal probes… Ubisoft is in chaos from ‘Star Wars’

By nr39r

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