Ubisoft's Misguided Confidence: Dissonance Between Corporate Claims and Community Backlash on Assassin's Creed Shadows
In their recent earnings call, a Ubisoft exec painted a somewhat rather "rosy" picture of their upcoming titles, including "Assassin's Creed Shadows."
The narrative conveyed was one of overwhelming positivity and anticipation, contrasting starkly with.. you know... the actual sentiment running through the gaming community.
The truth. Reality. You know...
That little thing?
The disconnection between Ubisoft's corporate assertions and the player community's response highlights a concerning trend within the company—being completely out of touch with gamers.
"...So in terms of (um um) we we don't disclose nor comment (uh) pre-orders usually what we can say is that what we've been observing and measuring is that our two big titles actually are indeed among the most awaited games of the of the industry and they enjoy very strong positive Community sentiment."
~Ubisoft Exec
During the earnings call, Ubisoft described the gameplay for their anticipated titles like "Star Wars Outlaws" and "Assassin's Creed Shadows" as not only being praised by players and critics alike, but also how they showcase cutting-edge capabilities of their game engine:
"The game play for our two highly anticipated upcoming premium titles Star Wars: Outlaws and Assassin Creed: Shadows was not only praised by players and critics light but also highlighted The Cutting Edge capabilities of our game engine."
They went on to claim that "Assassin's Creed Shadows" is set to be the most ambitious title of the series and hinted at expecting record-breaking sales.
However, their corporate 'enthusiasm' seems to be at odds with investors and the actual gaming community reaction, especially concerning the choice of Yasuke as the main protagonist in "Assassin's Creed: Shadows." This questionable choice has been continually creating backlash as the months pass, yet Ubisoft's executives either remain blindly unaware... or more aptly, choose to ignore the discontent brewing amongst fans.
Ubisoft's approach to handling said 'backlash' appears pretty dismissive, focusing only on promotional narratives that highlight theoretical 'success' and 'innovation'. These statements in the earnings call reflect a much broader issue within Ubisoft: a complete and utter disconnect with the gaming community. It feels like the company is operating in a bubble, projecting success and positivity with rose-colored glasses, while completely glossing over real criticisms and concerns of actual players.
When questioned about whether "Assassin's Creed Shadows" aims to be the best-selling game in the series and how pre-orders compared to previous titles, the response was pretty damn evasive.
Ubisoft's representative stated that they "do not usually disclose or comment on pre-orders", yet continued to emphasize how their titles are among the most awaited in the industry and enjoy strong positive community sentiment.
"In terms of (um um) we... we don't disclose nor comment (uh) pre-orders usually what we can say is that what we've been observing and measuring is that our two big titles actually are indeed among the most awaited games of the of the industry and they enjoy very strong positive Community sentiment"
...This vague response doesn't confront the real issues at hand and instead redirects to a narrative of anticipated success. On top of that, Ubisoft is now starting to block detratcors, a major influencer calling out their BS, @MangaLawyer on Twitter/X announced he has been blocked by Ubisoft. Completely ridiculous as they have not posted any incorrect information and if anything, have been trying their best to hold a corporation accountable.
The gap between Ubisoft's public statements and the community's reception of "Assassin's Creed Shadows" shows more challenges growing like mold within the industry when it comes to those participating in DEI. Companies like Ubisoft must not only listen to their player base but also actively engage with and address the concerns that arise. Ignoring significant segments of the community or misrepresenting their sentiments can lead to a broader disconnection, ultimately impacting the game's reception and commercial success.
Ubisoft's handling of the "Assassin's Creed Shadows" backlash in their earnings call serves as a reminder of how game developers (and publishers) can become alarmingly out-of-touch with an audience. By choosing to focus on their 'self-praised' narrative rather than addressing any real and serious criticisms, Ubisoft has risked not only the success of their titles ...but also their reputation and trust within the gaming community - at least - whatever reputation they have left to try and salvage.
Listen and engage, or risk the consequences...
~Smash
It obviously shows that UbiSoft has pretty much Fucked itself due to them not listening to the gamer fan based and if I were an investor,I would literally pull my funds away from these Cocky Jackasses
Why are they tanking their own company? They used to be decent.