Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws Underperforms, Impacting Share Price

Ubisoft's highly anticipated Star Wars Outlaws, intended as a financial turnaround point, has reportedly underperformed sales expectations, causing a dip in the company's share price. Despite positive critical reception, sales have been described as sluggish.

Share Price Decline

Following the August 30th release, Ubisoft's share price experienced a consecutive two-day decline, falling 5.1% on Monday, September 3rd, and a further 2.4% by Tuesday morning. This marks the company's lowest share price since 2015, adding to a year-to-date drop exceeding 30%.

Sales Projections Revised Downward

J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven revised his sales projections for Star Wars Outlaws from 7.5 million units to 5.5 million units by March 2025, citing the game's struggle to meet initial expectations. This, despite generally positive reviews from critics.

Ubisoft's Q1 2024-25 report highlighted Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed Shadows as key "value drivers" for the company's future financial performance. While the report noted a 15% increase in session days and a 7% year-on-year increase in monthly active users (MAUs), the underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws casts a shadow over these positive metrics.

Mixed Player Reception

The discrepancy between critical acclaim and player reception is notable. While some outlets, like Game8 (90/100), lauded the game, Metacritic user scores sit at a considerably lower 4.5/10. This suggests a disconnect between professional opinions and the overall player experience. This disparity may contribute to the lower-than-expected sales figures.