LogInUbisoft has postponed the release of Skull and Bones and canceled three unannounced video games amid "major challenges" in the industry and the underperformance of its recent titles.
Ubisoft has announced that it canceled three unannounced projects and, for the sixth time, delayed its long-in-development pirate battler Skull and Bones.
On Wednesday, Ubisoft published a press release where it revealed that it lowered its expectations for the last fiscal quarter as a result of "major challenges" in the industry that it is now facing as well as the underperformance of its latest titles.
"The company is facing major challenges as the industry continues to shift towards mega-brands and long-lasting titles than [sic] can reach players across the globe, across platforms and business models," Ubisoft said.
The company added that for the last four years, its priority has been to adapt its biggest brands including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and The Division to these "converging trends", however, "games from this investment phase have yet to be released, while [its] recent launches have not performed as well as expected."
Specifically, Ubisoft called out Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023 as underperforming in the key holiday season which was "markedly and surprisingly slower than expected."
These challenges have all played part in the company's decision to cancel three unannounced projects in addition to four other canceled titles announced in the summer (Ghost Recon Frontline, Splinter Cell VR, and two announced projects).
Ubisoft also touched upon Skull and Bones, which following a series of previous delays was most recently set to release this coming March, noting that "the additional time has already paid off" bringing improvements to the game's quality.
However, the company decided to postpone its release once again to "have more time to showcase a much more polished and balanced experience and to build awareness." Now the title is expected to come out "early" in the next fiscal year, which runs from April 2023 to March 2024.
You can learn more by reading Ubisoft's press release here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform, our Reddit page, and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.