Ubisoft is canceling and postponing several games as the company battles its dire finances.
Skull and Bones is not about to come out. 6 years after being announced, during E3 2017, the piracy game will still be postponed… for the sixth time already. This was announced by Ubisoft following its last visibly catastrophic financial report. The studio is in financial trouble and has no choice today but to cancel several games and postpone others.
In its report, the company explains that it faced “major challenges as the sector continues to shift towards mega-brands and long-term titles.” In question, several unexpected flops, some of which are very recent. It seems that the titles Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023 have underperformed, which only accentuated the already painful situation of Ubisoft. The studio must now stop the bleeding by cutting budgets.
Three unannounced games have been canceled and Skull and Bones is now planned for “2023-2024” and will therefore not be released on March 9. The reasons for this postponement are not clear, but it seems that Ubisoft wants to put the maximum chance on its side to release a truly successful game, which players will buy without regret and which they will stay on for many years.
A new strategy on the way
If the fan community has gradually grown tired of the announcements around Skull and Bones, the prospect of a release at the beginning of 2023 had succeeded in reviving a certain enthusiasm. Despite the wait, no serious competitor has been able to show the tip of his nose in the category of piracy games, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag and Sea of Thieves remain the only viable options for anyone who loves this universe, and the two titles are no longer very young. So the appeal of an open-sea adventure game that’s both modern and grandiose is really strong, no matter what’s going on at Ubisoft.
The firm has not said its last word, and intends to recover from its difficulties in the near future. She’s counting on future games Assassin’s Creed Miragebut also Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora which is already shaping up to be a blockbuster with huge resources for the game to live up to the success of James Cameron’s films. However, no specific release date has been announced for each of these two titles.
