How many times can a modern triple-A game be delayed? Ubisoft is clearly testing the limits for that answer, having shared a new earnings report today that can confirm Skull and Bones is now scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of the company’s 2023-24 fiscal year. This appears to be the sixth or seventh time that the piracy and naval warfare game from Ubisoft Singapore has been delayed, according to wiki pages that note how the game was originally meant to be released in 2018. Ubisoft’s earnings report has also revealed that a “large game” that was supposed to launch during the last quarter of the current fiscal year has been delayed, and while the company didn’t specify what this is, many are speculating that this could very well be Star Was Outlaws, with Massive Entertainment’s first-ever open-world Star Wars game having been previously planned for release by the end of March 2024. Star Wars Outlaws, which stars a female scoundrel and her droid sidekick, is set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The lineup for the remainder of the fiscal year includes, on the premium side, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Just Dance 2024 edition, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown and Skull and Bones, which is set to release during Q4 2023-24. On the free-to-play side, Rainbow Six Mobile, The Division Resurgence and XDefiant will also launch later this fiscal year.
The overperformance in Q2 and the current positive momentum of Ubisoft’s brands build confidence for the rest of the year. The Company can therefore confirm its announced guidance of strong top line growth and non-IFRS operating income of approximately €400 million, without releasing the other large game it had initially planned to launch during the last quarter of the current fiscal year.