Following Disastrous Receptions Of ‘Star Wars Outlaws’ And ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’, Ubisoft CEO Issues Statement Claiming “Our Goal Is Not To Push Any Specific Agenda”
In what can only be described as an ostensible attempt to try and win back player favor following years of disastrous releases, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has claimed that contrary to popular belief, the Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows developer is not actively look to “push any specific agenda”.
The embattled exec’s defense of Ubisoft’s operations was issued as part of an official statement issued on September 25th announcing the company’s lowering of their Q2 FY2024-25 financial targets (which they claimed were “mainly a reflection of decisions taken for Assassin’s Creed Shadows [as its delay has pushed back whatever earnings it would have brought in to a later quarter] and the softer than expected launch for Star Wars Outlaws).
Following the twin reveals that Shadows was being delayed to give it “further polish” and Outlaws would soon be released to Steam and also receive “a series of updates to polish and improve the player experience”, Guillemot took a moment to personally address the game studio’s surprise moves.
“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,” began Guillemot. “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 player,” he added. “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.”
And it was here, in drawing his thoughts to a close, the CEO attempted to assure players of the company’s supposedly ‘agenda-less’ direction.
“Finally, let me address some of the polarized comments around Ubisoft lately,” concluded Guillemot. “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.”
Interestingly, this claim that Ubisoft developers are erring away from pushing “specific agendas” stands in direct contrast to the insistence from those involved in Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ production that despite his real-world existence as a retainer, the game will be ‘correctly’ portraying Yasuke as a true Samurai
“While we strive for authenticity in everything that we do, Assassin’s Creed games are works of fiction inspired by real historical events and figures,” wrote the dev team during a previous addressing of the backlash to their game’s narrative. “From it’s inception, the series has taken creative license and incorporated fantasy elements to craft engaging and immersive experiences. The representation of Yasuke in our game is an illustration of this. His unique and mysterious life made him an ideal candidate to tell an Assassin’s Creed story with the setting of Feudal Japan as a backdrop. While Yasuke is depicted as a samurai in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we acknowledge that this is a matter of debate and discussion.”
Thanks to its delay, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now release on February 14th, 2025 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Epic Games and Steam.
Meanwhile, Star Wars Outlaws will exit hyperspace and makes it way to Steam starting on November 21st.
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