Skip to main content

Ubisoft learns lesson from Ghost Recon Breakpoint, delays three AAA games

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot admitted that Ghost Recon Breakpoint had its fair share of issues, which resulted in delayed release dates for three games.

In an earnings call and a statement, Guillemot lamented the disappointing reception for Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Our review of the Ghost Recon Wildlands follow-up found that while gunplay was snappy and the story was engaging, the shooter was dragged down by the bugs that plagued it, as well as a microtransactions system that felt out of place in a game that values exploration and discovery.

Related Videos

Ubisoft identified three main reasons for the underperformance of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the first of which is that it is more difficult to generate interest for a sequel to a live multiplayer game when the previous version — in this case Ghost Recon Wildlands — had years of optimization in development. There needs to be more time in between the releases of live games.

“With so many learnings and built-in confidence from our teams, we wrongly believed that after a 30-36 month gap between releases, players would be ready to enjoy new adventures of our live games. In the end, it proved too short a time frame,” said Guillemot.

Ubisoft also determined that the gameplay innovations in Ghost Recon Breakpoint were not perfectly implemented. While some players appreciated the changes, which include survival elements and a loot grind, a significant portion of the community built by Ghost Recon Wildlands rejected the new mechanics.

Lastly, Ghost Recon Breakpoint did not have enough “differentiation factors,” which prevented it from standing out.

“We are tackling these issues head-on and already are implementing significant changes to our production processes,” Guillemot said. In light of this, Ubisoft has decided to delay Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Watch Dogs Legion to the second and third quarters of its 2020-2021 fiscal year. This places their release dates between July 1 and December 31 next year.

According to Guillemot, the decision to delay the three games was to give its development teams more time to perfectly implement their innovations. The delays hurt Ubisoft’s financial targets for its current fiscal year, but it is apparently willing to take the hit to fulfill the lessons that it learned from Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

Editors' Recommendations

MSI’s Crosshair 15 gaming laptop gets a Rainbow Six Extraction makeover
The Rainbow Six Extraction Crosshair 15 laptop sits in front of promo art for the game.

MSI is giving its Crosshair 15 gaming laptop a makeover with a special edition design based on Rainbow Six Extraction. The laptop comes with the deluxe version of the game, as well as a few themed accessories.

Rainbow Six Extraction is Ubisoft's upcoming co-op shooter that brings aliens to the series. The redesigned Crosshair 15 incorporates iconography from the game, as well as a shade of bright yellow that's been prominent in the game's marketing.

Read more
Ubisoft Quartz shows the boring reality of video game NFTs
Soldiers stand on a cliff in Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

After months of behind-the-scenes movement, NFTs are finally making their way into mainstream video games -- whether you want them or not.

Ubisoft Quartz: Announce Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

Read more
The best Ubisoft games
Far cry villains of past games return for far Cry 6's DLC.

Since its foundation in 1986, French developer and publisher Ubisoft has worked on hundreds of games, spanning multiple genres and generations of consoles. In its earlier days, the company focused on smaller titles, as well as a handful of games based on licenses such as Indiana Jones, Sesame Street, Batman, and even Charlie's Angels. But Ubisoft has a tremendous catalog of original games, such as the Far Cry, Rayman, and Assassin's Creed franchises -- along with many others -- that put it on the map as one of the most prolific video game studios.

Ubisoft has a rich history spanning over three decades of games, and we've compiled a list of its absolute best, from platformers and action games to some licensed titles.

Read more