Seems they all come back in the end. Ubisoft put out a new financial targets statement, and in it they confirmed a move back to same-day releases on Steam starting with Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows has seen a release date delay and will now instead release on 14th February 2025, as Ubisoft say they are taking on the learnings from the "softer than expected launch for Star Wars Outlaws". On top of that they are "departing" from the Season Pass model with everyone getting access at the same time, and pre-orders will get the first expansion free.
Star Wars Outlaws is also coming to Steam and will release on 21st November.
From the statement release Yves Guillemot, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, said:
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.Our second quarter performance fell short of our expectations, prompting us to address this swiftly and firmly, with an even greater focus on a player-centric, gameplay-first approach and an unwavering commitment to the long-term value of our brands.
Although the tangible benefits of the Company’s transformation are taking longer than anticipated to materialize, we keep on our strategy, focusing on two key verticals – Open World Adventures and GaaS-native experiences – with the objective to drive growth, recurrence and robust free cash flow generation in our business.
In the light of recent challenges, we acknowledge the need for greater efficiency while delighting players. As a result, beyond the first important short-term actions undertaken, the Executive Committee, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, is launching a review aimed at further improving our execution, notably in this player-centric approach, and accelerating our strategic path towards a higher performing model to the benefit of our stakeholders and shareholders.
Finally, let me address some of the polarized comments around Ubisoft lately. I want to reaffirm that we are an entertainment-first company, creating games for the broadest possible audience, and our goal is not to push any specific agenda. We remain committed to creating games for fans and players that everyone can enjoy.
"Traditional" means that you pay for future access to fully-fledged expansions, right?
As opposed to "modern" "season passes" that include useless cosmetics, a day-one short sidequest and the future access to a disappointing extra story...
StalePopcorn Sep 26
-always online DRM
-as a result, games can be taken down and become unplayable (The Crew 1)
-shitty and useless forced ubisoft connect
-zero integration with Steam
-'You need to get accustomed with not owning games'
So we're just renting stuff right? Only to have it taken away years later with 0 refunds? No thanks. You will not see my money.
BladePupper Sep 26
QuoteWe are departing from the traditional Season Pass model. All players will be able toSeason passes aren't traditional, they started a bit more than a decade ago and popularized themselves about a decade ago. It really isn't traditional when compared to the still ongoing practice of releasing a game and that's it, some updates to fix bugs and performance problems but that's about it. So still probably doing a season pass but not having preorders for it or maybe announcing it until 2-4 months after the initial game release.
enjoy the game at the same time on February 14 and those who preorder the game
will be granted the first expansion for free.
Quoting: pbBTW I hope "coming to steam" means with achievements, cloud saves and all that.Very doubtful since it's more likely going to require using their embedded game launcher on their Steam releases for these features you listed.
Focusing on GaaS is an agenda, right?
slaapliedje Sep 26
Quoting: BladePupperI always thought season passes were the method by which you basically pre-order DLC that may or may not actually ever be released for a slightly discounted price? At least that's the way I've always seen it being used.QuoteWe are departing from the traditional Season Pass model. All players will be able toSeason passes aren't traditional, they started a bit more than a decade ago and popularized themselves about a decade ago. It really isn't traditional when compared to the still ongoing practice of releasing a game and that's it, some updates to fix bugs and performance problems but that's about it. So still probably doing a season pass but not having preorders for it or maybe announcing it until 2-4 months after the initial game release.
enjoy the game at the same time on February 14 and those who preorder the game
will be granted the first expansion for free.
Quoting: KlaasIteresting… “our goal is not to push any specific agenda”… “focusing on (…) GaaS-native experiences”.Considering the wording, this sounds to me like a vague allusion to gender politics. Trying to convince far-right nutjobs that they haven’t "gone woke"? I’m not sure. I don’t know what the "polarized comments around Ubisoft lately" are other than whether or not Star Wars Outlaws was any good.
Focusing on GaaS is an agenda, right?
slaapliedje Sep 26
Quoting: SalvatosI think when they say "'departing' from the Season Pass model with everyone getting access at the same time", they mean that season passes will no longer include early access? Which may be entirely to avoid too many players saying that the game sucks before everyone else can buy it blindly.The two I've seen is the 'we're making a game taking place in Japan be about a black guy, that historically may or may not have been trained in the ways of the samurai' and for Star Wars Outlaws, I've just seen the excuse that they're uglifying the characters over what the real actress who they modeled the character after.
Quoting: KlaasIteresting… “our goal is not to push any specific agenda”… “focusing on (…) GaaS-native experiences”.Considering the wording, this sounds to me like a vague allusion to gender politics. Trying to convince far-right nutjobs that they haven’t "gone woke"? I’m not sure. I don’t know what the "polarized comments around Ubisoft lately" are other than whether or not Star Wars Outlaws was any good.
Focusing on GaaS is an agenda, right?
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