Ubisoft, the French video game company, has been going through something of a rough patch. It’s most recent game, Star Wars Outlaws, should have been an uncontested hit given that it’s based on one of the hottest properties around, and is the first open-world Star Wars game, but it’s been a bit of a disappointment for Ubisoft since its release this summer.
Actually, the French company said Star Wars Outlaws enjoyed a “softer than expected launch” in a recent financial update (via IGN). The game has been available on Ubisoft’s own digital store and the Epic Games Store, but now Ubisoft has announced that the game will be arriving on Steam on November 21.
Ubisoft has also put out a roadmap which shows the game will be getting several updates before its eagerly anticipated Steam release this fall (see below). Aside from bug fixes and “quality of life improvements” for players, Star Wars Outlaws’ combat and stealth will be enhanced too. This makes sense taking into account that these aspects of the game were criticized by reviewers, with the game boasting a decent but not spectacular score of 76 on Metacritic.
French company Ubisoft sure is looking to add to its Star Wars game, though, with the company saying that its “currently fully mobilized” to improve the game for this holiday season.
“Ubisoft’s development teams are currently fully mobilized to swiftly implement a series of updates to polish and improve the player experience in order to engage a large audience during the holiday season to position Star Wars Outlaws as a strong long-term performer”, said the company.
Our team is currently working hard to address your feedback and deliver new content.
More title updates will be heading your way in the coming weeks along with the release of our first story pack on November 21st.Stay tuned for more information soon. pic.twitter.com/3mapFT2Pyx
— Star Wars Outlaws (@StarWarsOutlaws) September 27, 2024
Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether Ubisoft can turn things around and make Star Wars Outlaws into the uncontested hit it was hoping it would be.
Earlier this year, a Reuters report (via PC Gamer) said the game’s sales were sluggish, with a JP Morgan analyst lowering his sales expectations for the game to 5.5 million from 7.5 million. Ubisoft itself has not given any sales numbers, though.
There’s also story DLC coming for the game which could help boost its sales this fall. The game’s first story pack will arrive on November 21 coinciding with Star Wars Outlaws’ Steam release, and will feature legendary Star Wars character Lando Calrissian.
And it’s also a good thing that Ubisoft has changed its tune regarding the release of its games on Valve’s Steam store. Steam is many PC users preferred platform for PC games, so it’s a good thing that future Ubisoft games, such Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be arriving on Steam day one. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was recently delayed by Ubisoft to February 11 next year.
Star Wars Outlaws has not done as well as Ubisoft expected.
Ubisoft, though, seems to still be facing difficulties, with its recent games not doing as well as it may have liked. Not only did Star Wars Outlaws underperform at launch, but last year’s Avatar Frontiers of Pandora did not set the world alight either. Some have blamed poor marketing for this, but the reality is that Ubisoft clearly no longer has the resources it did back in the day.
Actually, the golden days of Far Cry 5 are long gone, and Ubisoft is not the powerhouse it used to be. Proof of this is that the company’s shares have falling a whopping 57 % in the Paris stock market so far this year. Ubisoft is now worth almost 10 times less than it did in the summer of 2018, shortly after Far Cry 5’s release.
But still, here’s hoping the French outfit’s fortunes change. A company known for classic franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry sure can turn things around, and if it’s able to improve its most recent game Star Wars Outlaws via the announced updates it may yet turn into a big hit this holiday season, perhaps bringing a smile to Ubisoft fans the world over.