Ubisoft's slump continues: Star Wars Outlaws fails to turn things around, XDefiant numbers are sliding, and we still don't know where The Sands of Time is

The launch of Star Wars Outlaws should have been a triumph for Ubisoft—a milestone moment heralding a turnaround in the company's fortunes. But on the financial front at least, it hasn't really worked out that way. Outlaws has been generally well received by critics, but sales don't appear to be meeting initial expectations, and instead of seeing a surge Ubisoft's share price has tumbled following the game's release to its lowest mark since 2014.

Ubisoft was banking heavily on Star Wars Outlaws, saying in its most recent financial report that gameplay previews were «not only praised by players and critics alike but also highlighted the cutting-edge capabilities of our game engines.»

«As we progress through FY25, all our efforts are focused on successfully launching our promising new releases and positioning them as long-lasting value drivers for Ubisoft while continuing the transformation of our organization,» Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said. «We are excited about the future and confident in the sustained progress of our turnaround throughout the year.»

But a Reuters report says sales of Star Wars Outlaws are «sluggish,» quoting JP Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven as saying that the game «has struggled to meet our sales expectations despite positive critical reviews.» Kerven also lowered his sales expectations for Star Wars Outlaws through the end of March 2025 from 7.5 million units to 5.5 million.

I've been around long enough that I still have a hard time envisioning 5.5 million copies sold as any sort of failure, but such is the way of the world these days. Cyberpunk 2077, by way of comparison, had sold 25 million copies as of October 2023; more recently, Helldivers 2 surpassed 12 million copies sold in just three months, while Black Myth: Wukong blasted to 10 million units sales in a week. Star Wars Outlaws is clearly not a flop, but neither is it running with the big dogs.

Investors seem very disappointed about Star Wars Outlaws' sales numbers and let Ubisoft stock