The China Mail - Europe games industry on edge as 'Assassin's Creed' hits shelves

USD -
AED 3.6731
AFN 71.021929
ALL 86.757891
AMD 388.845938
ANG 1.80229
AOA 916.00013
ARS 1164.995901
AUD 1.563184
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.695628
BAM 1.718274
BBD 2.002838
BDT 121.45998
BGN 1.719885
BHD 0.376949
BIF 2973.111879
BMD 1
BND 1.309923
BOB 6.907155
BRL 5.620603
BSD 0.999627
BTN 85.145488
BWP 13.647565
BYN 3.271381
BYR 19600
BZD 2.008021
CAD 1.384205
CDF 2877.999668
CHF 0.82343
CLF 0.024644
CLP 945.690094
CNY 7.2695
CNH 7.26779
COP 4197
CRC 505.357119
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 96.873243
CZK 21.912502
DJF 178.012449
DKK 6.56327
DOP 58.908545
DZD 132.536245
EGP 50.806099
ERN 15
ETB 133.81045
EUR 0.879204
FJD 2.290499
FKP 0.746656
GBP 0.746705
GEL 2.74497
GGP 0.746656
GHS 14.294876
GIP 0.746656
GMD 71.501438
GNF 8658.065706
GTQ 7.698728
GYD 209.76244
HKD 7.757825
HNL 25.941268
HRK 6.627056
HTG 130.799
HUF 355.493505
IDR 16711.5
ILS 3.62415
IMP 0.746656
INR 85.23945
IQD 1309.571398
IRR 42100.000327
ISK 128.449891
JEP 0.746656
JMD 158.35182
JOD 0.709197
JPY 142.383503
KES 129.196076
KGS 87.449716
KHR 4001.774662
KMF 432.24966
KPW 900.101764
KRW 1428.525013
KWD 0.30626
KYD 0.833044
KZT 511.344318
LAK 21622.072771
LBP 89567.707899
LKR 299.446072
LRD 199.931473
LSL 18.549157
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.468994
MAD 9.272737
MDL 17.203829
MGA 4511.41031
MKD 54.139301
MMK 2099.785163
MNT 3572.381038
MOP 7.98763
MRU 39.575655
MUR 45.198647
MVR 15.39652
MWK 1733.40069
MXN 19.5658
MYR 4.315499
MZN 64.009882
NAD 18.549157
NGN 1601.520135
NIO 36.785022
NOK 10.381755
NPR 136.237321
NZD 1.68704
OMR 0.385003
PAB 0.999613
PEN 3.664973
PGK 4.141482
PHP 55.902622
PKR 280.826287
PLN 3.752184
PYG 8005.376746
QAR 3.644223
RON 4.377995
RSD 102.966435
RUB 81.997213
RWF 1428.979332
SAR 3.751083
SBD 8.361298
SCR 14.223739
SDG 600.500677
SEK 9.64578
SGD 1.307315
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.75026
SLL 20969.483762
SOS 571.328164
SRD 36.849852
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.746876
SYP 13001.961096
SZL 18.542907
THB 33.415978
TJS 10.555936
TMT 3.51
TND 2.990231
TOP 2.342098
TRY 38.476596
TTD 6.782431
TWD 32.039744
TZS 2690.000086
UAH 41.530014
UGX 3663.550745
UYU 42.090559
UZS 12943.724275
VES 86.54811
VND 26005
VUV 121.306988
WST 2.770092
XAF 576.298184
XAG 0.030327
XAU 0.000302
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.71673
XOF 576.29312
XPF 104.776254
YER 245.050464
ZAR 18.56875
ZMK 9001.189716
ZMW 27.965227
ZWL 321.999592
  • SCS

    0.1500

    10.01

    +1.5%

  • NGG

    0.1900

    73.04

    +0.26%

  • GSK

    0.9100

    38.97

    +2.34%

  • BTI

    0.4700

    42.86

    +1.1%

  • BCC

    -0.8300

    94.5

    -0.88%

  • CMSC

    -0.0800

    22.24

    -0.36%

  • RBGPF

    -0.4500

    63

    -0.71%

  • AZN

    1.7800

    71.71

    +2.48%

  • RIO

    0.0100

    60.88

    +0.02%

  • BP

    -1.0600

    28.07

    -3.78%

  • JRI

    0.1300

    12.93

    +1.01%

  • CMSD

    -0.1300

    22.35

    -0.58%

  • RYCEF

    -0.1300

    10.12

    -1.28%

  • BCE

    0.1100

    21.92

    +0.5%

  • RELX

    0.4300

    53.79

    +0.8%

  • VOD

    0.0100

    9.58

    +0.1%

Europe games industry on edge as 'Assassin's Creed' hits shelves
Europe games industry on edge as 'Assassin's Creed' hits shelves / Photo: © AFP/File

Europe games industry on edge as 'Assassin's Creed' hits shelves

Thursday's release of action-adventure epic "Assassin's Creed Shadows" marks a make-or-break moment not just for struggling French games heavyweight Ubisoft, but for the entire European gaming ecosystem.

Text size:

With its almost 18,000 employees and global footprint, Ubisoft has nevertheless suffered one setback after another in recent years with disappointing releases, a dwindling stock price, harassment allegations against former bosses and repeated strikes.

The company is falling back on its longtime major money-spinner "Assassin's Creed" to pull it from the doldrums, this time with an episode set in medieval Japan.

"I've never seen things this way" as the whole European industry looks to Ubisoft, Midcap Partners analyst Charles-Louis Planade told AFP ahead of the launch.

More than 17 Ubisoft studios employing hundreds have poured five years of work into "Shadows", with an estimated budget running into hundreds of millions of euros.

Early reviews have been positive, with the game receiving a "generally favourable" score of 81/100 on review aggregation site Metacritic.

That was one point higher than "Valhalla", the 2020 release that has so far been the high point of the series' profitability.

The latest instalment "looks better and plays better than nearly any other entry in Ubisoft's 18-year old series", American games journalist Stephen Totilo wrote on his website Game File.

Meanwhile gaming site IGN's review of "Shadows" said it "sharpens and refines (the series') edge without fully reforging it".

- Fingers crossed -

A lack of major changes to the game's mechanics could risk "leaving some players worn out", said Julien Pillot, an economist specialising in the cultural industries.

He suggested that Ubisoft's recent underwhelming releases "may be a sign that audiences are falling out of love with its games".

Nevertheless, Planade said that "everyone is crossing their fingers for this release to be a huge success".

He said a poor sales showing could provoke a knock-on effect across the entire industry, noting that in France alone, Ubisoft accounts for almost one-third of the country's 15,000 jobs in games development

Many budding creators pass through Ubisoft after completing their training, while former employees have founded new studios in France and around the world.

The company in 2023 launched a cost-cutting drive including studio closures and almost 2,000 layoffs.

- Uncertain future -

The belt-tightening did not save Ubisoft from judgement on financial markets, with the stock falling from more than 100 euros ($109 at today's rates) ten years ago to its all-time low of 9.01 euros in September.

Ubisoft shares had fallen almost 5.6 percent on Wednesday to trade at 12.60 euros by the time markets closed, despite the good early reviews for "Shadows".

Even before release of the hoped-for blockbuster, Ubisoft said it was "actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options" for its future.

Early rumours suggested that could involve going private with help from Chinese tech giant Tencent, a major investor that holds ten percent of Ubisoft.

More recently, multiple outlets have reported the group could sell off much of its games catalogue to focus on its core titles.

"Every option is on the table" for Ubisoft's future, Planade said, with commercial success for "Shadows" likely to strengthen Ubisoft's hand in the negotiations.

V.Fan--ThChM