Summary
According to one ofUbisoft’s shareholders, the publisher has been speaking with Microsoft, EA, and other gaming companies about selling off some of its IPs.Ubisoft’s long-awaitedAssassin’s Creed Shadowsis right around the corner, set to release next week. Despite Japan being a dream setting for manyAssassin’s Creedfans,Shadowshas been mired in controversy and negativity ever since its gameplay reveal, and Ubisoft’s survival seems to now lie on the game’s shoulders.
It would be an understatement to say that Ubisoft has been struggling these past few years. While Ubisoft has released a few well-regarded games, likePrince of Persia: The Lost CrownandValiant Hearts: Coming Home, most of the publisher’s larger swings have missed the mark both critically and commercially. Games likeAvatar: Frontiers of PandoraandAssassin’s Creed Miragedidn’t seem to move the needle for Ubisoft, and others likeXDefiantandSkull and Bonesare considered flat-out flops. It was the mixed reception of last year’s open-worldStar Wars Outlawsthat really seemed to put Ubisoft in a nosedive, in part leading to the creation of an internal committee focused on vetting out the right course of action for Ubisoft’s future, and whether that involves apotential buyout by Tencent.
Juraj Krupa, CEO of one of Ubisoft’s shareholders, AJ Investments, expressed his frustration with the French game publisher and some of its recent actions. In astatement by Krupa, he criticizes Ubisoft’s leadership for mismanaging the company, and accuses Ubisoft of lacking transparency with its major decisions. Krupa claims thatUbisoft delayedAssassin’s Creed Shadowsfrom November 2024 to March without sufficient communication with its investors. Perhaps most importantly, Krupa cited a business report that reveals Ubisoft’s discussions with Microsoft, EA, and “others that are interested in acquiring IPs from Ubisoft.”
Ubisoft is Reportedly Interested in Selling IPs to Microsoft, EA, and “Others”
While the report Krupa mentioned didn’t seem to explicitly name any of the franchises Ubisoft is allegedly looking to pawn off, it’s hard to imagine the French publisher wanting to part ways with some of its historically successful IPs, likeAssassin’s CreedorFar Cry. It’s also not known who these “other” companies are, and whether they include the likes of Sony or Take-Two Interactive as well. If Krupa’s accusations against Ubisoft are true, it would be hard to imagine Microsoft adding Ubisoft’s IP to its first-party juggling act. While Xbox has a lot of internal studios now, they’re all busy with their own projects; incorporating Ubisoft’s IPs would potentially require a dramatic shift in strategy. EA could be better equipped to take on Ubisoft’s franchises, as it doesn’t seem to have as much going on under the hood as Xbox does these days.
It seems like the fate of Ubisoft’s future largely lies in thesuccess ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Even ifShadowssells super well and achieves critical acclaim, Ubisoft may still be left in a challenging spot. These next few weeks and months will be interesting to say the least, as Ubisoft figures out its path forward.
