The big games are getting bigger, and so are the stakes

Ubisoft is making some huge changes to its business: as part of ReorganizationThe company will focus its efforts on the large open-world games it is known for alongside live service titles, and has canceled six games in development, including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake. It’s all part of the recent trend of the industry’s biggest publishers, including companies like EA and Sony, making fewer but bigger games to avoid risks.

Under its new structure, Ubisoft games will be developed by five “creative houses” focused on specific genres and franchises. the Previously announced at Vantage StudiosFor example, it will develop Ubisoft’s biggest franchises “turning them into annual billionaire brands”, including Assassin’s Creed, A distant cryand Rainbow six. Other Ubisoft studios focus on competitive shooters, live-service games, fantasy and narrative “universes”, and casual games.

Ubisoft’s press release lists many familiar series that will live on under these studios, including… Division, Ghost Recon, Splinter cell, Just danceand Prince of Persiain spite of The sands of time cancellation. until Beyond good and evilthe sequel that was in development for More than a decadeincluded. But Ubisoft says there are only four new franchises actually in development – ​​and that it has canceled three in the works – suggesting it plans to rely more on familiar brands rather than branching out. In addition to the cancellation of games, the new structure also means the closure of many studios, and that is likely to happen Leads to more layoffs in the future.

This structure puts more pressure on these games to be successful, as evidenced by the PlayStation fiasco Concord. That game was under development for About eight yearsHe was They are said to be expensive to make He was not caught immediately. As a result, Sony I took the game offline Just two weeks after its release, and a few weeks later, the game was permanently shut down and Developer Firewalk Studios. Ubisoft clearly wants to avoid this kind of failure, and by relying on well-known games and franchises, they reduce the risk of the bomb. And games that probably won’t be a hit, e.g Years in development Sands of Time Remakeit looks like they won’t be a major part of the strategy going forward.

“What we’re seeing is a classic risk-aversion strategy,” said Joost van Dreunen, a gaming professor at New York University who also He writes about the industryHe tells Edge. “When markets get volatile, big publishers retreat to what they know works: their established franchises,” he adds. “It’s a rational response to uncertainty, but it comes with real costs,” such as recycling proven franchises rather than developing new experiences and potentially raising prices to justify big-budget sequels. “This strategy may work for publishers with deep catalogs of beloved franchises, but it is no guarantee of survival,” says Van Dreunen. “It’s like buying time from him by building a sustainable future.”

Ubisoft’s transformation is similar to what we’ve seen from other major gaming companies. EA, even before the announcement A deal worth $55 billion To take the company private, it was Focus more Support privileges with large online communities, e.g battlefield, EA Sports Cluband Sims. after Battlefield 2042′rock release, Battlefield 6 He was A pivotal moment for the series and EAIt was also a huge project, developed by several in-house studios. That bet seems to have paid off as the game has been a huge success, with EA declaring it their “best-selling shooter.” For the year 2025. Like Ubisoft, EA has smaller franchises, e.g Plants vs zombiesbut it also downsized and canceled its library A Black Panther The game is in development.

Sony is similarly focusing its efforts on a smaller number of games that largely fall into two distinct groups. While Sony has Reduce it Her ambitions for service lived and survived Some failureslive service games remain a mainstay of the company — and it’s even announced a new studio last year This is spun from amount Bungee maker. Meanwhile, Sony also continues to push the big-budget single-player exclusives that have become closely associated with the PlayStation brand. Its known projects in the works include expanded single-player games based on what its developers have done before: Housemarque’s Saros It continues to be well received Returning, Marvel wolverine It is the next game from Spider-Man Maker Insomniac, and The last of us Developer Naughty Dog has been working hard Intergalactic: Heretic Prophet.

In Wednesday’s press release, Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot summed up the problem the AAA market faces: It’s more competitive, has higher costs, and faces greater challenges, but successful games have “greater financial potential than ever before.” The company, like many others, is betting that refocusing on larger, well-known brands that release with a more regular cadence will be a more stable business. This path may prove successful, but it is also fraught with issues, from job losses to less creative innovation. The future of blockbuster gaming is unclear, but it will be full of familiar faces. Get ready for more Assassin’s Creed.