Ubisoft to Focus on “Return to Leadership” in Open World Genre, Expand Live Service Experiences

Earlier today, Ubisoft officially revealed the next major entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is yet another entry in the franchise that embraces the open world formula Ubisoft is known for. In addition to AC Shadows, Ubisoft has another game set for release this year with Star Wars Outlaws, which is also an open world game.

It seems releasing more open world games will be a focus for the company moving forward alongside focusing on GaaS (Games as a Service or a.k.a live service) titles as well.

This was revealed in Ubisoft’s quarterly financial report. According to Ubisoft, the company will have a strategic focus on two “core verticals” and that is the “Open World Adventure” and native “Games-as-a-Service.”

The first objective is to return to leadership in the Open World Adventure segment, which are immersive worlds with a rich lore that deeply engage players. The Open World Adventure market represents €25 billion today, and is expected to grow over the coming years. This market is dynamic, frequently benefiting from technological disruptions and is characterized by high barriers to entry. Ubisoft can rely on big franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry®, The Division®, Ghost Recon® and Star Wars to address this market. This will start in FY2024-25 with the launch of Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows and will continue in the future years as we deliver immersive experiences that attract more players into our universes and reach new audiences, notably thanks to multiplayer and mobile.

Ubisoft also spoke about emphasizing their focus on live service games:

The second objective is to expand our footprint on GaaS-native experiences. Historically one of the major segments in the video game industry, it currently represents €120 billion, is a growing market and has the largest total addressable market in terms of number of players. In this segment, Ubisoft has notably successfully installed Rainbow Six Siege, which became one of our largest and most profitable games. The objective is to expand our footprint in this dynamic market notably thanks to growing existing experiences as well as the upcoming releases of XDefiant, Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division Resurgence.

Ubisoft has two open world games brewing and set to be released later this year, and I am guessing there’s more of those kinds of games that haven’t been revealed just yet. As for the live service (GaaS) mode, the company has XDefiant set to be released next week, which is a free-to-play arena shooter with live service elements.

In addition to that, Ubisoft also has Rainbow Six Siege, For Honor, The Crew Motorfest and more titles that are part of the GaaS model of games.

Do you think Ubisoft is doing the right move by focusing on these two core verticals or should the company shake things up a bit when it comes to software?

XDefiant is set to launch next week, and we have a ton of info about the game from its preload times to launch content, with more in its game hub.

On the open world front, Star Wars Outlaws is due for release this August 30, while Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set for release this November 15 for current-gen consoles, with details on the game, its different editions and more listed here.

More Ubisoft Reading:.

• Report: Assassin’s Creed Shadows to Require an Internet Connection Even If It’s Single-Player Only
• Star Wars Outlaws Jabba the Hutt Mission Can Only Be Accessed via Season Pass
• XDefiant Server Locations Revealed, Game Goes Gold

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