Decline meh Ubisoft (Ubi fuckery general thread)

[ghardy]

Report Provides More Details on Splinter Cell Remake Development

[Emphasis added]

Players looking forward to seeing Ubisoft's current-generation remake of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell may be pleased to hear that the game is still in development. The Splinter Cell remake was originally announced in 2021, though nothing official has been made public about it outside persistent rumors, including some suggesting that it was canceled.

...

In its report, Insider Gaming said that the Splinter Cell remake project is in the works under the code name "North." Their sources also claimed that the game is being built using Ubisoft's Snowdrop game engine. Open world action adventure Star Wars Outlaws was also powered by Snowdrop. The Snowdrop engine itself appears to be a staple of recent major Ubisoft titles. It was used to render the detailed environs of post-apocalyptic US cities in the Tom Clancy's The Division series. Snowdrop also powered Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's extremely immersive forests and lush, extraterrestrial environments.

It's good to see news that Ubisoft appears to be making progress on the project, despite many and varied rumors about the Splinter Cell remake sparking concerns. Though Ubisoft is best-known for large-scale open world games these days, the Splinter Cell remake could serve as a refreshing reminder of the fact that the company once also excelled at finely-tuned linear mission-based experiences. If successful, the Splinter Cell remake could help revitalize the franchise and inject some new life into the somewhat dormant stealth action genre, which has seen far too few credible releases from major publishers in the last few years.

 

[ghardy]

Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales

[Emphasis added]

Ubisoft's battle to maintain its share price has become almost as epic as its "Assassin's Creed" franchise as the video game giant confronts stuttering sales, buyout rumours, and now a strike that starts Tuesday.

The creator of the historical action game and "Just Dance" was booming as recently as 2020, rivalling its US and Japanese competitors.

But its share price is at a 10-year low following disappointing sales of recent games such as "Skull and Bones" and "Star Wars Outlaws", as well as the latest version of "Prince of Persia".

It says that "Assassin's Creed" has now sold more than 200 million copies, but the scheduled release of the next version has been delayed for three months until February.

Ubisoft's "open world" games, where players roam a virtual universe, was the dominant model in the 2010s, but is now "beginning to look a bit old fashioned," said Oscar Lemaire, who founded the Ludostrie website that reviews games.

Lemaire said that Ubisoft cannot afford a new "failure" with the next "Assassin's Creed".

Since the success of online games such as "Fortnite", made by Epic Games, which generates massive revenue by constantly selling updates and new content, all the big publishers are trying to copy the new "service game" model.

Ubisoft tried in May with the release of "XDefiant" but sales did not meet expectations, said Ubisoft founder Yves Guillemot.

"They've really been left behind by the rest of the gaming industry by not being able to really utilize this shift towards live services and post-purchase monetization," said Martin Szumski, a financial analysts at Morningstar financial services.

With close to 45 studios in France, Canada, Italy, China and other countries, and about 19,000 employees, Ubisoft remains a key player.​

But, hit by its own problems and the overall crisis affecting the video game business, in January 2023 it announced a cost reduction plan that involved cutting 1,700 jobs over 18 months.

In France, where Ubisoft employs 4,000 people, discontent is growing over working conditions and salaries.

Several unions called a three-day strike starting Tuesday to protest a decision to impose at least three days a week of working in the office.

On October 4, Bloomberg reported that Chinese tech giant Tencent and the Guillemot family, Ubisoft's largest shareholder, were working on a buyout that would take the company off the stock market.

Ubisoft would only confirm that it "regularly examines all its strategic options". Tencent holds about 10 percent of the company and the Guillemot family about 14 percent.

"Tencent is very strong in China, especially in mobile game apps and 'free-to-play' games," said Lemaire. A buyout would give Tencent a toehold in Western markets and the big-budget games that are Ubisoft's specialty.

It would also allow Ubisoft's management "to let their strategy play out without the market constantly looking over their shoulder," said Michael Hodel, an analyst at Morningstar.

 

[thesecret1]

Several unions called a three-day strike starting Tuesday to protest a decision to impose at least three days a week of working in the office.

 

[The people of Duckburg]

"They've really been left behind by the rest of the gaming industry by not being able to really utilize this shift towards live services and post-purchase monetization," said Martin Szumski, a financial analysts at Morningstar financial services.

Yes, clearly that's the issue. Not the quality of their games or their idea of historical accuracy, but that they aren't microtransacting hard enough. Ubisoft, the company that made the ending to the Prince of Persia re-reboot into DLC, and made it exclusive to certain platforms.

 

[Rahdulan]

"They've really been left behind by the rest of the gaming industry by not being able to really utilize this shift towards live services and post-purchase monetization," said Martin Szumski, a financial analysts at Morningstar financial services.

Yes, clearly that's the issue. Not the quality of their games or their idea of historical accuracy, but that they aren't microtransacting hard enough. Ubisoft, the company that made the ending to the Prince of Persia re-reboot into DLC, and made it exclusive to certain platforms.

But you don't understand. It's money on the table.

 

[Hammer Of The Heretics]

My money is in my safe, and as far as Ubisoft is concerned that is where it will remain.

 

[ghardy]

XDefiant is reportedly shutting down after just four seasons

[Emphasis added]

Ahead of its launch, XDefiant was given the title of “COD killer” by several players looking for a first-person shooter inspired by the simplistic mechanics of old Call of Duty games. Despite capturing the attention of fans at launch, interest in Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter is starting to dwindle.

Executive producer and former Call of Duty dev Mark Rubin previously stated XDefiant would be a game you could “love for a long time.” However, a recent leak claims the doors are about to close on the shooter after four seasons of post-launch content.

According to notable insider Shaun Weber, support of XDefiant will cease once Season 4 has come to an end. Weber also states Ubisoft is actively asking its playtesters to host another test session in a bid to gather new feedback on areas that can be improved in a last-ditch effort to keep it alive.

This isn’t the first time questions surrounding the success of XDefiant have cropped up. A report from Insider Gaming reveals developers have “until the end of Season 3” to increase its player count or risk losing its post-launch support.

XDefiant is currently in the middle of Season 2 which launched on September 25th, adding a wealth of new content including a new Faction, weaponry, maps, game modes, and more. While Ubisoft continues with its post-launch content plans, the pressure to deliver more players at a time when several new shooters are releasing is going to be a tough task.

XDefiant shutting its doors after four seasons would be a huge disappointment for Ubisoft and if you’re still loading into the action. Thankfully, Ubisoft has already released a full roadmap for its first year seemingly confirming the game has support for a little while longer.

The exact reasons behind XDefiant’s falling player count remain a mystery. Although Ubisoft has improved its ranked mode along with its divisive hit registration, players aren’t returning to action despite it offering what fans of classic FPS titles have demanded for years.

At launch, XDefiant boasted the removal of skill-based matchmaking, a feature many players have claimed to despise in modern games. However, following launch, many fans became upset at the unbalanced matchmaking.

For more XDefiant, take a look at the best MDR build along with why the game had to be built from the ground up using an engine from an MMO game.

 

[ghardy]

Ubisoft staff in France strike over home working and pay

[Emphasis added]

Recent releases such as Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and the new episode of Prince of Persia have failed to impress gamers, and the company spooked investors by delaying the latest release of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to next year.

The value of Ubisoft shares have collapsed by more than 40 percent since the beginning of the year, touching their lowest level in 10 years in September.

This week’s strike, caused by a September message from management insisting on a return to the office three days per week for all staff worldwide, follows on from another walkout in February when hundreds in France joined a dispute over pay.

Unions said they had received no response to the grievances aired in February and that the September message was, “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

Clement Montigny, of the STJV union, told AFP the move to in-person working broke promises made to staff and “calls into question the way they organise their lives”.

Ubisoft managers told staff in an email that returning to the office was vital to foster creativity, and promised to give workers time to adjust.

AFP saw around 50 people on a picket line in Montpellier, with Ubisoft offices in Annecy, Lyon and Paris also expected to be affected.

 

[thesecret1]

At launch, XDefiant boasted the removal of skill-based matchmaking, a feature many players have claimed to despise in modern games. However, following launch, many fans became upset at the unbalanced matchmaking.

Do people actually hate skill-based matchmaking?

 

[Konjad]

"They've really been left behind by the rest of the gaming industry by not being able to really utilize this shift towards live services and post-purchase monetization," said Martin Szumski, a financial analysts at Morningstar financial services.

Yes, clearly that's the issue. Not the quality of their games or their idea of historical accuracy, but that they aren't microtransacting hard enough. Ubisoft, the company that made the ending to the Prince of Persia re-reboot into DLC, and made it exclusive to certain platforms.

Honestly, what the fuck is wrong with these people

 

[Necrensha]

Do people actually hate skill-based matchmaking?

Some people cling to the notion that they would be 5 ranks higher if only that darn matchmaking didn't stop their climb.

 

[deuxhero]

At launch, XDefiant boasted the removal of skill-based matchmaking, a feature many players have claimed to despise in modern games. However, following launch, many fans became upset at the unbalanced matchmaking.

Do people actually hate skill-based matchmaking?

I believe the disdain is not for "we pair players with players of similar skill" but for "we'll actively pair players with players wildly above and wildly below their skill level in equal amounts so they get a roughly 50% win rate by default rather than slowly build skill" which all the major MP games seem to do now. I recall one of the shit companies even patented a system for giving players losing streaks to encourage buying P2W stuff.

 

[thesecret1]

At launch, XDefiant boasted the removal of skill-based matchmaking, a feature many players have claimed to despise in modern games. However, following launch, many fans became upset at the unbalanced matchmaking.

Do people actually hate skill-based matchmaking?

I believe the disdain is not for "we pair players with players of similar skill" but for "we'll actively pair players with players wildly above and wildly below their skill level in equal amounts so they get a roughly 50% win rate by default rather than slowly build skill" which all the major MP games seem to do now. I recall one of the shit companies even patented a system for giving players losing streaks to encourage buying P2W stuff.

That'd explain it. Thanks.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Ubisoft staff in France strike over home working and pay

[Emphasis added]

Recent releases such as Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and the new episode of Prince of Persia have failed to impress gamers, and the company spooked investors by delaying the latest release of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to next year.

The value of Ubisoft shares have collapsed by more than 40 percent since the beginning of the year, touching their lowest level in 10 years in September.

This week’s strike, caused by a September message from management insisting on a return to the office three days per week for all staff worldwide, follows on from another walkout in February when hundreds in France joined a dispute over pay.

Unions said they had received no response to the grievances aired in February and that the September message was, “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

Clement Montigny, of the STJV union, told AFP the move to in-person working broke promises made to staff and “calls into question the way they organise their lives”.

Ubisoft managers told staff in an email that returning to the office was vital to foster creativity, and promised to give workers time to adjust.

AFP saw around 50 people on a picket line in Montpellier, with Ubisoft offices in Annecy, Lyon and Paris also expected to be affected.

Ah, they shouldn't worry. Pretty soon they won't have to go into any office or work at all. That should make them all happy.

 

[ghardy]

XDefiant producer says ‘there are no plans to shut down after season 4’
Mark Rubin admits player numbers have fallen, but says Ubisoft is working on a recovery plan

[Emphasis added. BTW, just look at this image. It's like Road Rash on drugs.]

XDefiant executive producer Mark Rubin has denied claims that Ubisoft could close the game after its first year of content.

“To be crystal clear there are NO plans to shut down after season 4,” he wrote on X on Tuesday, seemingly in response to comments published on the social media platform earlier this week.

On Monday, an X user by the name of Shaun Weber, who calls himself a “game developer who knows some people” and whose handle is @just4leaks2, claimed to have heard from multiple sources that XDefiant could close after its fourth season if Ubisoft fails to attract more players.

“I’ve literally been in meetings as of last week to discuss our Year 2 plans,” Rubin said today. “But, right now we are super focused on improving the technical experience (which includes netcode) and adding more content for Seasons 3 & 4.

“We have done very little marketing so yes our numbers are down but that is just to give the team the time to get the game in a better place before we do bigger spends on marketing to bring new players to the game and to bring back players that have left,” he went on to claim.

It’s the second time in a month that developer Ubisoft San Francisco has denied claims that the free-to-play shooter’s days could be numbered.

“No, the game is absolutely not dying,” it said in September, following reports that there’s been a sharp drop in interest in the live service game, contributing to a significant decline in Ubisoft’s share price.

“We know there are things we need to improve like Netcode/Hitreg and adding more content to progression, but the game is doing well.

“We just want it to do better. And we do that by addressing the concerns of our community which has always been the plan.

“Ubisoft is very much behind us and has allocated more resources to the team in order for us to do that,” the studio said.

XDefiant was released in May for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. VGC’s review of the game called it “a confident shooter that’s far more than a Call of Duty knockoff”.

The game’s first season of live content launched in July and its second arrived in September, when plans for two further seasons of content were outlined.

On the same day that XDefiant’s second season launched, Ubisoft announced it was delaying Assassin’s Creed Shadows to next year, and said it had initiated a plan to improve Star Wars Outlaws’ fortunes following a disappointing launch.

The French publisher has lost more than half its market value this year, and it was recently claimed that its founders are considering taking the company private with Tencent, which already owns about 10% of the company.

[Money will be burned until more money comes rolling in.]

 

[Fedora Master]

If there ever was a time to go full Pinkerton on someone, it is now.

 

[rumSaint]

At launch, XDefiant boasted the removal of skill-based matchmaking, a feature many players have claimed to despise in modern games. However, following launch, many fans became upset at the unbalanced matchmaking.

Do people actually hate skill-based matchmaking?

I believe the disdain is not for "we pair players with players of similar skill" but for "we'll actively pair players with players wildly above and wildly below their skill level in equal amounts so they get a roughly 50% win rate by default rather than slowly build skill" which all the major MP games seem to do now. I recall one of the shit companies even patented a system for giving players losing streaks to encourage buying P2W stuff.

Yeah it's not MMR thing where you get paired with similar MMR players and lose/get more the more gap is.

Things like in Apex work like his, you win one match, or get 1-2 good matches and suddenly you get paired with super good players who kick your ass, so your win rate stays at 50%. In Apex (or generally Battle Royale) it's even more egregious as you start as one of 20 squads, so winning chance should be 5%, thus after one won match you get curbstomped.

It's just frustrating.

 

[Gerrard]

BR is just a shit genre by design.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

Do people actually hate skill-based matchmaking?

the today's meaning of "skill-based matchmaking" is "if you suck or you aren't paying/subscribing you're paired against people who do and will crush you". it lost its real meaning at least a decade ago.


oh, shit, you got already the answer, sorry. well, reiterating how videogames now suck because of greed never hurts.

 

[ghardy]

700 Ubisoft Workers Strike In France, Across Their Different Locations

[Emphasis added]

As reported by French news outlet Le Monde, 700 employees have joined the strike, with 100 people picketing on their Paris location, and 50 people in Montpellier. Annecy and Lyon locations also have employees on strike.

Ubisoft workers in France are represented by a union organization called the STJV (Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo). They announced plans to hold this strike three weeks ago, in a press release last September 26.

Quoting STJV’s press release directly:

“Management just announced its decision to impose a return to offices for 3 days per week for all employees. This announcement was made without any tangible justification or any consultation with the workers’ representatives.

After more than five years of working efficiently in the current remote-work context, many of our colleagues have built or rebuilt their lives (family life, housing, parenthood, etc.) and simply cannot return to the previous working conditions. Our employer knows this perfectly well. The consequence of its decision will be the loss of our colleagues’ jobs, the disorganization of many game projects, and the drastic increase in psychosocial risks for those who remain.

This decision is announced immediately after the failure of the profit-sharing negotiations. Exactly like previous salary negociations: management’s proposals were innaceptable, the negociations’ timetable was appalling, and management was deaf to the proposals of the various Employee representatives.”

...

This seems to be just another issue affecting Ubisoft management, who is already dealing with unhappy shareholders who want the Guillemots to leave the company. But we should remember that Ubisoft’s employees and shareholders are not necessarily on the same side.

It’s true that they may align on many points in this situation. Clearly, they are both unhappy with Ubisoft’s Guillemots and top management structure. They also feel that Ubisoft is not doing what they want them to do.

But the shareholders are ultimately looking out for themselves and their profits. While they say they want Ubisoft developers to be able to keep making good games, they have also recommended that Ubisoft go through reconsolidation, doublespeak for saying they thing Ubisoft should lay off developers too.

With all this said, it’s not entirely true that the game developers are always correct. There’s an unfortunate and well-known example of an ill-advised video game project that released this year, but should have been cancelled instead.

Ultimately, we do know none of these parties want to lose Ubisoft. An Ubisoft that successfully makes popular and high selling games is what the industry used to know, and it’s what they all want to come back to. There is no consensus on how that will happen right now, but events seem to be converging to a solution that will be forced onto one of these parties, whether they like it or not.

 

[Rahdulan]

I'm just unsure what precisely rainbow flags have to do with these protests.

 

[Fedora Master]

I'm just unsure what precisely rainbow flags have to do with these protests.

They're Gay for Pay and the money is running out

 

[ghardy]

Meanwhile...

Ubisoft Philippines awarded Wellness Company of the Year Grand Winner & Diversity Company of the Year Circle of Excellence Awardee at the Asia CEO Awards 2024

[Emphasis added]

Founded in 2016, Ubisoft Philippines is the first AAA co-development game studio in the country, and the first of its kind to be involved in AAA game development.

From concept, creation, to game integration, their Filipino developers have creative power and firsthand decision-making over the player experience.

The studio is a proud co-developer of Ubisoft’s flagship titles and is home to over a hundred of the world’s finest talent from Art to Design, Programming, Animation, Audio, Quality Assurance and more—offering new job opportunities for aspiring game developers in the country and even attracting more foreign talent to the Philippines.

The team has co-developed some of the biggest franchises in gaming, including Assassin’s Creed (AC) Mirage, AC Valhalla, Far Cry 6, For Honor, Skull & Bones, and The Crew 2.

For Ruth Gonzalez, HR Manager, bringing meaningful player experiences through their games starts with their people. “Our commitment to wellness is not just a workplace initiative; it’s woven into the very fabric of who we are as a company.”

This 2024, they have been named the Wellness Company of the Year Grand Winner and Diversity Company of the Year Circle of Excellence Awardee at the Asia CEO Awards, the largest business awards event in the Philippines.

The Wellness Company of the Year Award is granted to the organization that designed organizational policies and achieved success in employee health and well-being.

Ubisoft also received the Circle of Excellence Award for Diversity Company of the Year, given to organizations that demonstrated proactive acceptance and respect for human differences. You can find out more about Ubisoft’s DEI practices here. [Read this link. It's too dadgum huge to summarize entertainingly, but believe me, it's wild.]

This marks the third consecutive year they have been recognized at the Asia CEO Awards. In 2022, they earned the Circle of Excellence Awardee as Top Employer of the Year, followed by Diversity Company of the Year in 2023.

Find out more by visiting philippines.ubisoft.com.

 

[ghardy]

Ubisoft Milan joins Ubisoft France strike over return to office

[Emphasis added]

Ubisoft Milan has called for a one-day strike in solidarity with Ubisoft France.

As reported by Deadline, the Milan branch of the Fiom Cgil union expressed concern over the firm's return to office policy.

"It is unthinkable that a young person who lives in another region or in any case far from our territory could spend three days a week in Milan, turning their existence upside down," said Fiom Cgil representative Andrea Rosafalco. "It is not economically sustainable and unfair on a human level."

According to Insider Gaming, several Ubisoft Milan employees are set to leave the studio as a result. It also noted that sources said some were leaving to join former creative director Davide Soliani's new studio Day 4 Night.

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Ubisoft for further comment.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

Recent releases such as Star Wars Outlaws, Skull and Bones and the new episode of Prince of Persia have failed to impress gamers, and the company spooked investors by delaying the latest release of the Assassin’s Creed franchise to next year.

Shouldn't have appeased the woke fag streamer crown with those games eh...