Assassin's Creed to Power Ubisoft's Recovery

Ubisoft is facing a challenging financial year, but the French game maker is counting on its popular Assassin’s Creed franchise to help fuel its recovery.

The company recently revealed net bookings fell 13% for the first half of its 2023 fiscal year, with struggling launches for titles like Skull & Bones cited as a contributor. But in better news for Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Mirage – the next entry in its long-running historical stealth series – is on track to release in 2023.

In comments this week, Ubisoft’s chief financial officer noted that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be “super important” for the company’s recovery next year. The game is taking the series back to its stealth action-adventure roots and features the returning fan favorite protagonist Basim Ibn Ishaq.

Ubisoft is hoping for a “classic” Assassin’s Creed experience with Mirage that recaptures the appeal of earlier entries and reignites passion for the franchise. The game is in development at Ubisoft Barcelona, the same studio that created Assassin’s Creed 2.

Assassin’s Creed remains one of Ubisoft’s premier brands, with the recent Valhalla entry performing solidly despite receiving mixed reviews. The company is banking on Mirage being a “return to form” that draws in new and lapsed fans alike.

While there are undoubtedly challenges ahead, Ubisoft is wise to pin its hopes on a proven juggernaut like Assassin’s Creed to help stabilize its business over the coming year. If Mirage is indeed a more focused, classic experience, it has the potential to reinvigorate the franchise and give Ubisoft the jumpstart it needs.

Key facts about Ubisoft

• Ubisoft is a French video game company founded in 1986. It is headquartered in Montreuil, a suburb of Paris, France.

• Ubisoft is known for publishing the popular Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Rayman, Just Dance and Tom Clancy’s series of games.

• The company has over 18,000 employees worldwide with studios in 28 countries.

• Ubisoft has had some challenges in recent years involving toxic workplace culture, delays of major games and underperforming launches.

• In the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €1.534 billion (US$1.6 billion), with more than 95 million units of its games sold.

• Yves Guillemot has served as CEO and co-founder of Ubisoft since 1986. The Guillemot family remains the largest shareholder in the company.

• Ubisoft is focusing its future growth strategy on subscription services, free-to-play and mobile games in addition to its premium AAA console and PC releases.

• The upcoming Assassin’s Creed Mirage game is being viewed as important for Ubisoft’s recovery in fiscal 2023 after some recent underwhelming launches.

• Ubisoft is known for creating expansive open world games with a focus on historical settings and stealth action gameplay.

That covers some of the key points about Ubisoft’s history, business, strategy, franchises and challenges as a major video game publisher. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Assassin’s Creed franchise

• Assassin’s Creed is Ubisoft’s flagship franchise and one of the best-selling video game series of all time.

• The first Assassin’s Creed game was released in 2007. It is set during the Third Crusade and follows Altair, a member of the Assassin brotherhood.

• The games are set in an alternate history where Assassins and Templars have been in conflict for millennia. Players control Assassins who use stealth and combat to defeat the Templars.

• The series is known for allowing players to explore historical settings and time periods. This has included the Italian Renaissance, American Revolution, French Revolution, ancient Egypt and ancient Greece.

• Popular characters in the series include Ezio Auditore, Edward Kenway, Bayek, Kassandra and Eivor.

• The storyline spans multiple centuries and characters, with a present-day framing device involving the Abstergo corporation.

• The most recent main entry was 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, set in Viking-era England and Norway.

• The upcoming Assassin’s Creed Mirage will return the series to its roots and is set in 9th century Baghdad, starring fan favorite character Basim Ibn Ishaq.

• Overall, the Assassin’s Creed series has sold over 155 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.

• The games are known for their seamless blending of combat, stealth assassination, parkour movement and exploration of historic settings.

Hope this overview of the Assassin’s Creed franchise is helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions.