Ubisoft could find itself with no other option than to sell off valuable IP such as Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six in 2025 after a slew of underperforming projects.
In a post on their personal blog, founder and former CEO of gaming market research tool SuperData, Joost van Druenen, believed the developer, known for its aforementioned IP as well as other AAA properties, was “headed for privatization and dismantling in 2025”.
Star Wars Outlaws underperforming and Ubisoft’s confirmation in December that first-person shooter XDefiant would cease service in 2025 were both cited as contributors to this projected outlook.
Bleak projections
“With its share price plummeting from $28.19 to $12.30 year-over-year, the company has become an attractive takeover target,” Druenen continued, adding that its “valuable assets”, namely Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six, “could be worth more separately than together.”
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which Ubisoft confirmed in October, would be delayed from its original 2024 release window to 2025, isn’t guaranteed to be a saving grace for the company either, according to Druenen, stating that it “faces stiff competition from PlayStation’s Ghost of Yotei.”
The One Up author attributed the root cause of Ubisoft’s poor fortunes to the company remaining “stubbornly outdated in an era demanding player engagement and community building” and risked “further alienating both investors any players,” should nothing change.
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“While the company has delayed Shadows in polishing the product and ensuring a smoother release, such adjustments will not mitigate the broader challenge: the erosion of player trust,” Druenen ultimately concluded.
While far from conclusively pointing to a tumultuous year ahead for Ubisoft on its own, other external reports have indicated the very same.
On December 6, Reuters claimed to have learned from sources that Ubisoft shareholders were exploring the possibility of a company buyout while still allowing majority shareholder, the Guillemot family, to retain majority control.
Second to the Guillemot family, to which current CEO and chairman Yves Guillemot belongs, the largest individual shareholder of Ubisoft is Tencent. According to Reuters sources, the Chinese tech giant has “yet to decide whether to participate in the buyout and increase its stake in the company.”
