Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws Underperforms, Impacting Share Price
Ubisoft's highly anticipated Star Wars Outlaws, intended as a financial turnaround for the company, has reportedly underperformed in sales, causing a significant drop in Ubisoft's share price. Despite positive critical reception, sales have been described as sluggish.
Share Price Decline
Following the game's August 30th release, Ubisoft's share price experienced consecutive declines, falling 5.1% on Monday, September 3rd, and a further 2.4% by Tuesday morning. This marks the lowest share price since 2015, adding to a year-to-date drop exceeding 30%. The company had positioned Star Wars Outlaws, along with Assassin's Creed Shadows, as key drivers for long-term growth in its Q1 2024-25 sales report.
Revised Sales Projections
J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven lowered his sales projection for Star Wars Outlaws from 7.5 million units to 5.5 million units by March 2025, citing the game's failure to meet expectations despite positive reviews. Ubisoft's Q1 report highlighted a 15% increase in session days across consoles and PC, largely due to Games-as-a-Service, with MAUs reaching 38 million.
Mixed Player Reception
While critics generally praised the game, player reception has been less enthusiastic, reflected in a Metacritic user score of 4.5/10. Conversely, Game8 awarded Star Wars Outlaws a 90/100 rating, hailing it as an exceptional addition to the Star Wars franchise. For a more detailed perspective, consult our full review (link omitted). The discrepancy between critical acclaim and user scores highlights a potential disconnect between expectations and the actual gameplay experience.
