It's a bold strategy, Cotton.
Ubisoft today announced “a major organizational, operational and portfolio reset” that means it will cancel 6 games (including The Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake), and delay 7 more. The publisher has also declared a focus on games as a service (GaaS) and “player-facing Generative AI”.
“Today’s announcement introduces a radically new value-creation model: a more gamer-centric organization, structured around creative genres, relying on integrated business units with faster, decentralized decision-making and a greater ability to quickly adapt to players’ expectations. This transformation will be supported by a rightsized and more agile organization, delivering improved structural efficiencies over time,” reads a press release from Ubisoft.
“The new operating model will further empower the execution of the Group’s strategy, centered on Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences, supported by targeted investments, deeper specialization, and cutting-edge technology, including accelerated investments behind player-facing Generative AI.”
“On the one hand, the AAA industry has become persistently more selective and competitive with rising development costs and greater challenges in creating brands. On the other hand, exceptional AAA games, when successful, have more financial potential than ever,” said Ubisoft CEO, Yves Guillemot. “In this context, today we are announcing a major reset built to create the conditions for a return to sustainable growth over time. We are transforming Ubisoft’s operating model to produce exceptional quality games on the two core pillars of our strategy, Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences.”
Ubisoft’s new creative houses
Ubisoft also announced five creative houses that will help to accomplish its new plans.
“At the center of this transformation are our Creative Houses, integrated business units now combining production and publishing and therefore unifying the gamer relationship. Each one is built around a clear genre and brand focus, with full responsibility and financial ownership, led by dedicated leadership teams. It is a radical move, relying on a more decentralized creative organization with faster decision making and best-in-class cross functional core services supporting and serving each Creative House,” said Guillemot.
“To put the Creative Houses in the best conditions to succeed, we decided to refocus our portfolio with a meaningfully revised 3-year roadmap and accelerate our cost reductions initiatives to right size the organization. We will discontinue several projects currently in development and provide additional time to certain games, to ensure enhanced quality and maximize long term value. We will also selectively close several studios and continue restructurings throughout the Group. While these decisions are difficult, they are necessary for us to build a more focused, efficient and sustainable organization over the long term.”
Ubisoft’s new creative houses are as follows:
- Creative house 1: The already-established Vantage Studios, which has control of Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six
- Creative house 1: Which will look after “competitive and cooperative shooter experiences” including franchises The Division, Ghost Recon, and Splinter Cell
- Creative house 3: Looking after “select, sharp Live experiences” like For Honor, The Crew, Riders Republic, Brawlhalla, and Skull & Bones
- Creative house 4: In charge of “immersive fantasy worlds and narrative-driven universes” including Anno, Might & Magic, Rayman, Prince of Persia, Beyond Good & Evil
- Creative house 5: This last house works in “casual and family-friendly games” with games including Just Dance, Idle Miner Tycoon, Ketchapp, Hungry Shark, Invincible: Guarding the Globe, and Uno
Cancellations and delays
Ubisoft confirmed that it has cancelled — “discontinued,” in its own words — six titles including The Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake. Of the remaining five cancelled games, 4 were unannounced, and one was a mobile title. Three of those unannounced titles were based on new IP.
“We’ve made the difficult decision to stop development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake,” reads a post on the game’s Twitter account. “We know this is deeply disappointing. The game carries enormous meaning for fans and for the teams who worked on it.
“While the project had real potential, we weren’t able to reach the level of quality you deserve, and continuing would have required more time and investment than we could responsibly commit,” it continued. “And we didn’t want to release something that fell short of what The Sands of Time represents.”
The publisher also confirmed it “will allocate additional development time to 7 games in order to ensure enhanced quality benchmarks are fully met and maximize long-term value creation. This includes the unannounced title initially planned for FY26, that has been delayed to FY27.”
Ubisoft didn’t confirm which titles will be delayed, though it’s believed an oft-rumoured Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake may be one of those titles.
What do you make of Ubisoft’s announcement today? Sound off in the comments area, below.
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
