Today is earnings day for Ubisoft, and its investors (and fans) heard what the next year will look like from the French game publisher. Over the next 12 months, four heavy hitters from Ubisoft are expected to hit consoles and PCs around the world.
Assassin’s Creed
Ubisoft fell flat on its face with Assassin’s Creed Unity. Bugs plagued the release and overshadowed the next entry, Syndicate. The folks at Ubisoft decided the franchise needed to breathe a little, instead of suffocating with yearly releases that weren’t living up to early entries.
With a year off, Ubisoft is ready to bring Assassin’s Creed back. Reports have the game taking place in ancient Egypt. And with a long development time, we should see a whole bunch of new gameplay features. The franchise was in desperate need of a ‘reboot.’ I can’t wait to see how it takes advantage of the extra power in the PS4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio.
Sharpen your blade. The Assassins will soon step out of the shadows… pic.twitter.com/nUrM4A57J0
— Assassins Creed UK (@Assassins_UK) May 16, 2017
Far Cry 5
There are almost zero details about Far Cry 5. The only thing we have to go on comes from Kotaku’s Jason Schreier. He’s heard the game is set in Montana, but that’s about it.
Lotta bad reporting out there about the next Far Cry. I have not heard anything about it being a western. Just that it’s set in Montana. pic.twitter.com/GrUMMz2Wi9
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) May 9, 2017
The game’s logo doesn’t give any hints either.
Are you ready for a hefty dose of new Far Cry adventures? https://t.co/RiR9MZvSR8 pic.twitter.com/dxcHCzAKEG
— Ubisoft UK (@UbisoftUK) May 16, 2017
The Crew 2
Again, not much on details – but here’s what Ubisoft’s community manager had to say in the announcement. “Beyond the road… Stay with us for more high octane thrills.” Boats? Planes? I’m down. Or maybe I’m just looking into the comment too much.
Beyond the road… Stay with us for more high octane thrills! >> https://t.co/SAFYt3ox7l pic.twitter.com/E5BttqCFuz
— Ubisoft UK (@UbisoftUK) May 16, 2017
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
The sequel to Stick of Truth. Look for more info on this and all of Ubisoft’s biggest games during their E3 2017 press conference on Monday (June 12) at 1pm PT/4pm ET.
Expect ‘Games as a Service’ to also continue being a big part of what Ubisoft does.
The Crew now has 12 million players.
The live service element allowed the game to be as profitable in year 3 as it was in year 2.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 16, 2017
In Watch Dogs 2, time spent in multiplayer was up 4x vs Watch Dogs 1.
Rainbow Six Siege active users hit a record last quarter.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 16, 2017
How that translates to a game like Assassin’s Creed will be interesting to watch. Having multiplayer would make it easier. We’ll see exactly how it all shakes out when Ubisoft holds their E3 conference.
One thing is for sure, Ubisoft knows what works right now in the gaming industry. Consistently updated games with microtransactions will be the mainstay going forward. The days of annualized franchises are done for most.