Assassin's Creed Shadows and Star Wars Outlaws head to Steam as Ubisoft return to same-day releases

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:

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.