Ubisoft celebrated a modern set of financial results that it says are driven by the “strong performance” of the Assassin’s Creed series. While there is updated sales data for the Mirage in 2023, there is no modern sales data for this year’s Shadows version.
The latest earnings report from the French publisher, published this morning, covers the company’s results in the first half of this year: from April to September. Last week, Ubisoft delayed the publication of these results at the last minute, sparking speculation that something had gone wrong with the company’s large deal with Tencent – although there is no indication of this today.
Ubisoft presented the results in a positive lightweight, stating that net bookings for the most recent quarter were “above expectations” and increased 39% year-over-year. “The outperformance was driven by a stronger-than-expected partnership,” Ubisoft noted, “and supported by a strong historical catalog that highlighted the strength of the Group’s brands.”
One back catalog game that seems to be doing very well is Assassin’s Creed Mirage, a series that marks a throwback to the smaller, urban adventure that started a few years ago. Ubisoft today announced a modern sales milestone for the title of 10 million units and said the latest free update funded by Saudi Arabia was met with “very positive” fan feedback.
However, when it comes to the sales results of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the hit entry in the series about feudal Japan that was released in March, Ubisoft has not been clear. Without providing a modern sales figure, Ubisoft simply stated that the game “benefited” from the launch of the New Game+ mode and the recent Claws of Awaji expansion, which seems obvious. The company then pointed to the game’s upcoming release on Switch 2 as an opportunity to “reach a wider audience.” In July, Ubisoft reported that Shadows had surpassed 5 million players and its performance was in line with expectations.
Outside of Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft noted that cheating issues in Rainbow Six Siege continue to temporarily impact “player activity and spending compared to expectations” following the game’s previously transitioned to a substantially free-to-play model.
Ubisoft still expects to finalize a $1.16 billion deal with Chinese conglomerate Tencent in the near future, CEO Yves Guillemot said, noting that “all conditions precedent have been met.” The transaction will secure financing for Vantage Studios, Ubisoft’s modern independent subsidiary responsible for Ubisoft’s largest franchises, including Assassin’s Creed.
Guillemot revealed that more of these companies, called Creative Houses, will be detailed in January – which is when a deal with Tencent should probably be struck. Then the future shape of the company should become clear, after years of internal turmoil.
“These creative houses will be autonomous, efficient, focused and accountable business units, each with its own leadership, creative vision and strategic action plan,” concluded Guillemot. “This group-wide transformation reflects our ambition to renew the way we create and operate to deliver great games for our players and lasting value for our partners and shareholders.”
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
