Report: Ubisoft Not Releasing an Assassin’s Creed Game This Year Means a $300 Million Loss & Investment for the Franchise’s Future

With Ubisoft confirming today that there won’t be an Assassin’s Creed releasing later this year, one might wonder just how much is Ubisoft giving up in terms of potential money and sales.

Sister site Game Revolution’s Jonathan Leack did the math, and it could cost Ubisoft over $300 million in total money given how the franchise sold throughout the years. Here’s a breakdown of how each major Assassin’s Creed entry has sold on home consoles since the series started.

Assassin’s Creed – ~11.28 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed II – ~11.36 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – ~6.92 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations –  ~9.18 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed III – ~13.05 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – ~12.72 million units sold

Assassins Creed: Unity– ~7.66 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue – ~2.38 million units sold

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – ~4.12 million units ​sold

With that data in hand, one could track or estimate that an Assassin’s Creed game released on PS4, Xbox One and PC would sell five to six million units. If you peg each copy at $60 each, that would put it somewhere between the $300-$350 million mark give or take. 

While most games these days drop in price quickly from its standard $59.99 price tag, it’s important to note that Ubisoft doesn’t just rely on Assassin’s Creed units sold, but also counts revenue from the series’ micro-transactions initiative, DLC and Season Passes, and other merchandise. Add these all up, and it’s evident Ubisoft is risking, and losing, a lot by not releasing an Assassin’s Creed game this year.

Granted that the publisher not pushing out a franchise entry this year means loss of potential sales, but this also means that Ubisoft is investing more money into Assassin’s Creed’s next entry, or at least the potential of it breaking free from the series’ shackles and hopefully, saving it from franchise fatigue from fans.

You can read the entire report here.

Is Ubisoft doing the right move from a business standpoint by not releasing an Assassin’s Creed game, which is the publisher’s biggest IP, this year? Will it prove to be a master stroke or will it backfire? Let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: Game Revolution]

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