It’s no secret that Ubisoft has had its share of rocky releases over the past few years, with even the studio’s best releases facing backlash in one form or another. While many of Ubisoft’s offerings, likeAssassin’s Creed: Shadows, have still gone on to break milestones for their respective franchises, it feels like just as many struggle to satisfy their player bases.
Despite having all the makings of another smashing success for Ubisoft, one adaptation by the influential studio failed to live up to both external and internal expectations. While this normally wouldn’t be as much of a problem for such a massive studio,a recent announcement could spell doom for future adaptations of a legendary sci-fi franchise.
Ubisoft’s CEO Blames Brand Fatigue For Star Wars Outlaws' Poor Sales
Citing Concerns Over A Growing Disinterest In The Series
As reported byTheGamer, in a recent investor meeting with the studio,Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was quick to assign blame forStar Wars Outlaws' failures on a growing disinterest in the franchise by fans. Rather than taking accountability for some outdated design choices or technical problems at launch, which contributed to its disappointing sales figures, Guillemot’s remarks about the brand being in"choppy waters"feel more like a way to appease investors than anything else.
Guillemot’s remarks about the brand being in"choppy waters"feel more like a way to appease investors than anything else.
While there is some truth in saying thatStar Warsfans may be more hesitant to jump into a new sci-fi adventure after so many disastrous projects, other entries in the franchise have still had their share of success. Compared to the admittedly lackluster sales ofStar Wars Outlaws,Electronic Arts’Jedi: Survivorstill managed tosurpassOutlaws' sales figuresfor 2024, despite releasing the year prior.
Despite having all the makings of an excellent addition to theStar Warsfranchise,Outlawsunfortunately failed to live up to its massive expectations for both Ubisoft and its players. Even ifpatches and DLC contenthave madeStar Wars Outlawsa much more enjoyable experience after release,it seems like Ubisoft is learning all the wrong lessons from the mistakes of its latest entry in the series.
There Is Still Plenty Of Love To Go Around For Star Wars Projects
A Statement That Couldn’t Be Further From The Truth
Contrary to the claims that projects likeStar Wars OutlawsorThe Acolytefailed due to a dwindling interest in theStar Warsbrand as a whole,the popularity spikes of otherStar Warsprojects seem to prove that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Originally starting as a humble prequel toStar Wars: Rogue One,the popularity ofAndorhas skyrocketed to become one of the most successful projects in the franchise,breaking television recordswith its review scores. Thesuccess ofAndoreven managed to benefit other projects in the franchise, causingStar Wars: Battlefront 2to experience a significant surgein popularity as a result.
Battlefront 2 even reached its all-time peak player count on Steam last month as a result of its boost in popularity.
Despite releasing nearly a decade ago, Battlefront 2 even reached its all-time peak player count on Steam last month as a result of its boost in popularity, alongside a growingdemand for a third entryin the series. Even if the comments by Ubisoft’s CEO mean we might never see an improved sequel toStar Wars Outlawsin the future,hopefully, the massive success of projects likeAndorand EA’sStar Wars: Survivorshows there’s still plenty of love out there for theStar Warsbrand.
