There’s no doubt that Ubisoft is an iconic video game company, but it’s clearly been in trouble in recent times. Major video game releases have flopped, it’s been forced to cancel other, in development titles, close studios and even create a subsidiary to manage its top IPs in order to protect itself from a hostile takeover…
So it’s not surprising that its most recent earnings report for the previous year (actually financial year ending in March) has been less than rosy. It’s earnings were €1.9 billion euros (about $2.15 billion), but the French company last €159 million euros (about $180 million), as was recently reported on france24.com. Game development costs and other expenses dragged Ubisoft down in the period.
This is despite the fact that its most recent game Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been a big hit. An expansive action and adventure RPG game set in feudal Japan, it has gotten rave reviews from game critics. It also happened to be the best-selling game in the US in March according to analytics firm Circana (via IGN), something which shows that the power of the Assassin’s Creed brand remains intact.
Actually, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is currently the second best-selling game in the US in 2025, only behind Bandai Namco’s Monster Hunter Wilds, and ahead of Bethesda’s Oblivion remaster. Regarding the game’s early sales performance, Ubisoft said Shadows was ahead of its earlier epics Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, but that it didn’t top Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which had higher day one sales than its most recent Japanese adventure.
The latest Assassin’s Creed game has been a hit for Ubisoft.
Ubisoft, then, has something to cheer about despite having experienced an economic loss in the past 12 months, in no small part due to a couple of high-profile flops. Pirate simulator Skull & Bones did not do well and wasn’t the “AAAA game” company CEO Yves Guillemot promised. Meanwhile, Star Wars Outlaws was expected to be a hit, it being the first open-world game set in a galaxy far, far away, but was overlooked by gamers partly due to its buggy launch. Ubisoft, though, did patch the game for its Steam release last fall, but it probably was too late by then…
So despite Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ success, Ubisoft is still struggling to be profitable again, and will need future games like its delayed remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to do the heavy lifting in the next 12 months. There is also a mobile version of The Division coming, plus several new Assassin’s Creed games are also in the pipeline. But it’s not clear whether the next game in its shooter series Far Cry will come out this year, or the next.
Also, there is excitement surrounding a possible remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, one of the best entries in the long-running franchise, so it seems like a good candidate for the remake treatment. Actually, Ubisoft may have teased such a remake recently, when it took part in a social media meme through its Assassin’s Creed UK X account (via Game Rant).
“unfortunately you’ve lost your memory”
UNFORTUNATELY?? https://t.co/HiaOsJ2t8F pic.twitter.com/NLG4dzb17h— Assassin’s Creed UK (@Assassins_UK) May 26, 2025
Such a remake is bound to do well taking into account how popular Black Flag was back in the day (it sold a whopping 11 million copies). However, a recent development could have an impact on this remake and other upcoming games from Ubisoft.
This is because in March Ubisoft said it would create a subsidiary to manage its three top brands. These are Far Cry, Rainbow Six and, of course, Assassin’s Creed. This happened thanks to a heavy investment from the company’s Chinese partner Tencent. And although Ubisoft boss Guillemot told French senators he would be in control of this new entity, it remains to be seen whether Tencent will now have a say about how future Assassin’s Creed games, including the rumored Black Flag remake, will be made…
For the time being, though, Ubisoft can rejoice in Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ success and hope for better times, but taking into account how much loved its games like Assassin’s Creed still are, it’s likely the company still has a bright future ahead of it.