As part of a new business update for its UK arm, Ubisoft has talked a little bit about falling game sales - and how players just aren't buying as many full-priced video games anymore.
Coming by way of CityAM, Ubisoft UK shared that its revenue had increased 11% since its last update, but that 'the sale of goods' coming out of the company actually dropped by 29% at the same time. The company went on to mention that single £50-£60 game sales "continue to become less ubiquitous" - i.e., people aren't buying as many full-priced games these days.
Here's an extended quote on this Ubi business update:
"Consumers are playing fewer games, playing them for longer and as a result, outside of a few notable exceptions, many new games are struggling to stand out and achieve the sales they may once have had, whilst the market is more volatile and the potential for any specific title less predictable as a result."
The company also predicts that revenue will fall during its current financial year, in part due to not as many new releases and fewer physical game sales. Following the launches of Assassin's Creed Shadows and Star Wars Outlaws earlier this year, Ubisoft's upcoming game slate looks pretty thin - especially in regards to currently announced projects that are set to release soon.
Of course, the company at large did just spin off its new 'Vantage Studios' branch to work on Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Rainbow Six - so maybe we see some major updates from those franchises in the near future. We'd certainly like to see what's going on with Far Cry these days; it's now been over four years since the last main entry.