Ubisoft Says People Are ‘Playing Fewer Games’, Which Makes New Games ‘Struggle to Stand Out’

In a recent filing with Companies House, Ubisoft’s United Kingdom-based arm wrote a lengthy breakdown about the ‘future developments’ of the firm. This somewhat morbid telling of the tale of gaming suggested that a paradigm shift is occurring, one that’s skewing the future of new single games in the wake of subscriptions and live-service titles.

Wasting no time, Ubisoft’s representatives directly said that ‘consumers are playing fewer games’ and the ones that they do play, they’re ‘playing for longer’, which means that new, single releases are struggling to compete and achieve the sales ‘they may once have had.’

Ubisoft’s Tale of Woe Suggests Gaming is Changed Forever

In the report filed in the United Kingdom on November 13 (thanks to RPS for the spot), the dull and meagre outlook on the games industry was published for all to see.

Ubisoft isn’t happy with how trends are unravelling.

The traditional ‘full game’ model of selling a single £50 – £60 game to a consumer as a one-time purchase continues to become less ubiquitous, with multi game subscription services, long running games-as-a-service titles, free-to-play games, and cloud streaming offerings all providing new and attractive ways for consumers to access gaming content.

Consumers are playing fewer games, playing them for longer, and as a result, outside of a few notable exceptions, many new games are struggling to stand out and achieve the sales they may once have had, while the market is more volatile and the potential for any specific title less predictable as a result.

All that was followed by a note that Ubisoft Limited will see falling revenue in the coming months.

Ubisoft isn’t wrong; that’s certainly the way of the world right now. People are falling in love with live-service games and sticking with them, sometimes relying on them for years to deliver on their gaming interests. Titles like Fortnite reshaped how the gaming world works, and that operating model is being mirrored by plenty of other titles.

And yes, free-to-play games and subscription services are saving people money (in some cases) when compared to buying full-priced, premium releases multiple times a year.

Ubisoft’s report sounds a little like whining and less like a pragmatic approach to an ever-changing market. Where some developers have bucked up and sorted out their direction, like Embark Studios with ARC Raiders, a live-service game with years of potential, Ubisoft seems instead to want to rely on the ‘old ways’ of single releases supported by some DLC.

It’s also ironic given that Ubisoft boasts ownership of one of the longest-running live-service games in the business: Rainbow Six Siege.

What do you think about Ubisoft’s statement? Let me know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Xbox has addressed the next-gen console