Ubisoft has announced that the titles Watch Dogs Legion and Rainbow Six: Quarantine are being postponed for the time being. The reason given is that two previous games did not generate enough revenue: Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and The Division 2.
Until when are the titles being postponed? In a message dated October 24, Ubisoft notified its investors that both Watch Dogs Legion and Rainbow Six: Quarantine are being postponed.
Both titles are now expected to release in the fiscal year 2020-21, which starts in April 2020. Watch Dogs Legion was originally scheduled to release on March 6, 2020. The release of Rainbow Six: Quarantine was planned for early 2020.
We have decided to postpone the releases of Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Watch_Dogs Legion until 2020-21. While each of these games already has a strong identity and great potential, we want our teams to have more time for development to ensure that their respective innovations are perfectly implemented, providing optimal experiences for players.
Yves Guillemot, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ubisoft
The Division 2 and Breakpoint responsible for the postponement
This was the problem with the games: Both Breakpoint and The Division 2 generated less revenue than Ubisoft originally planned. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint faced three issues that need to be specifically addressed:
- It is hard to generate interest for a sequel to an optimized service game (Wildlands).
- Gameplay innovations were not optimally implemented and were thus poorly received.
- Breakpoint was not different enough (likely too similar to Wildlands) to stand out with its qualities.
The microtransactions caused outrage among players and the user score was only 2.2.
Poor reviews and a bad overall impression of Breakpoint led to a lack of buyers for the game and its add-ons.
The Division 2 reportedly did not have as severe problems according to Ubisoft, but it still fell short of expectations. The bigger flops included the expeditions that were not well received.
What does this mean for Ubisoft? The setback will impact the company’s planned development model and its financial results. However, Ubisoft remains optimistic.
They are “confident in their ability to adapt and evolve,” as they have successfully done many times before. A good example of this attitude is the action game For Honor:
