Ubisoft’s Struggles with ‘Star Wars Outlaws’: Wind and Truth in the Stormlight Archive
Star wars outlaws game : Star wars outlaws game Ubisoft, the French video game developer, is having a tough time after the release of “Star Wars Outlaws.” The company’s shares fell for the second day in a row on Tuesday. As of 11:14 GMT, Ubisoft’s shares were down by 2.4%, trading at their lowest level since 2015. This drop follows a 5.1% decline on Monday, contributing to a total fall of over 30% since the start of the year.
“Star Wars Outlaws” was released on Friday and was one of Ubisoft’s major releases this year, alongside the upcoming “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” which is scheduled for release on November 15. Ubisoft has been struggling financially, with four years of negative cash flows due to game cancellations and delays. The company hoped that these two big releases would help in its financial recovery.
Despite positive reviews from critics, “Star Wars Outlaws” has not met sales expectations. The game’s user score on Metacritic is currently at 4.9 out of 10, which is quite low. Analysts have noted that the game has faced a “generally unfavorable” reception among players. J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven said in a note, “Star Wars Outlaws has struggled to meet our sales expectations despite positive critical reviews.”
One of the main reasons for Ubisoft’s recent struggles is the poor performance of its latest games. “Star Wars Outlaws” is not the only game to fall short. Ubisoft also released a free-to-play game called “XDefiant” earlier this year. Initially, there was strong interest in “XDefiant,” but this excitement quickly faded. Twitch viewership for the game dropped sharply, and it’s expected that “XDefiant” will have a minimal impact on Ubisoft’s financial results in the next few quarters.
Analyst Charles-Louis Planade from Midcap Partners pointed out that Ubisoft’s decline was driven by a muted reception of “Star Wars Outlaws.” Ubisoft had high hopes for the game’s launch, expecting it to boost net bookings for the July-September quarter. Chief Financial Officer Frederick Duguet stated in July that they were relying on the game to improve their financial outlook.
However, the development budget for “Star Wars Outlaws” was at least 30% higher than for “Assassin’s Creed Mirage,” which was released last year. Despite this higher budget, the game is underperforming compared to “Assassin’s Creed Mirage.” Data from Twitch, a popular video game live-streaming platform, shows that “Star Wars Outlaws” is lagging behind “Assassin’s Creed Mirage” by about 15%. Kerven also adjusted his sales expectations for “Outlaws,” lowering them by 2 million units to 5.5 million units for the year through March 2025.
Ubisoft did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters regarding the performance of its games. On Monday, the company declined to comment on the situation. Despite these challenges, Ubisoft is pushing forward. They are betting on their big releases to support financial recovery, but it’s clear that there is a lot of work to do.
In the world of gaming, challenges are a part of the journey. Just like the characters in the Stormlight Archive who face their own storms and hardships, Ubisoft is going through a rough patch. They have to find their wind and truth amidst the chaos. They have strong brands and dedicated teams, but they need to connect better with players and address the issues that have affected their recent launches.
It remains to be seen whether “Star Wars Outlaws” can turn things around. Ubisoft’s future success may depend on how they respond to these challenges and whether they can improve the player experience. For now, they are facing the storm, but with determination and the right moves, they could find a way to navigate through it.
