There are a number of ways for developers to release updates for upcoming games and announce new titles. Sometimes these are through joint or individual showcases, sometimes it's through large industry-wide events like E3, or occasionally it's simply through press releases. Another way for players to learn more about games in development is through financial reports that help to shed light on how things are going at a certain studio.
Ubisoft has recently released its financial report for the first quarter of the year. In addition to providing an update on how its franchises are doing financially, it's given some crucial insight into how the development of a handful of major titles is going, and what the future for a number of Ubisoft games looks like. Some of the news was a little disappointing to fans, but other updates have been more intriguing.
Game Delays
As is the custom with large, ambitious games, Massive Entertainment and Ubisoft's highly anticipated Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been delayed. The title has now been pushed back into the next fiscal year, which means that its release could be anytime from 2023 to 2024, barring any further delays. This is a blow for some fans who were hoping to experience the immersive world of Pandora for themselves in a game that promises to be impressively next-gen, but the delay was already predicted by many given the lack of updates or glimpses of the talked-about title.
Another unnamed game has also been delayed that was similarly originally slated for the 2022-23 fiscal year. Like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, this mysterious title will instead aim for the 2023-23 fiscal year, but Ubisoft has not revealed what it is. It has been described as an "unannounced premium game," which could point toward one of the upcoming Assassin's Creed titles, but there's a chance that it could be completely unrelated as well. Fans will have to wait to know more and might have their questions answered in the next few months.
Assassin's Creed Updates
The financial report was sadly lacking in much substantive Assassin's Creed info, other than assertions that the franchise is still performing very well. This is good news for fans hoping for many more years of historical stealth content as Assassin's Creed continues to be a solid earner for the developer. With lots of rumors flying around about potential future projects for the series as well, players are eager to learn more about the inevitable upcoming games, and they will have their wishes granted during the next Ubisoft Forward on September 10.
Canceled Titles
There was some bad news for players as well. Both Splinter Cell VR and Ghost Recon Frontline have been canceled, which were first announced in 2020 and 2021 respectively. While most fans were excited to experience Splinter Cell in a VR format, there was some initial backlash to Ghost Recon Frontline as the work-in-progress title represented a significant departure from the previous games in the franchise. Two more unannounced games have also been canceled, but these remain a complete mystery, and it's unlikely fans will learn what they were anytime soon.
Continued Support
Ubisoft's slate of free-to-play titles like XDefiant, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Mobile, and The Division Heartland will continue to receive support and are still among the developer's future plans as it strives to build upon the base it's created and eventually reach wider audiences. The recently announced Tom Clancy’s The Division: Resurgence mobile game is still in development, and Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Skull & Bones are also on schedule for their respective release dates.