Ubisoft maintains outlook, says some major titles delayed to 2028, 2029

By Leo Marchandon

July 23 (Reuters) - French video game maker Ubisoft stuck to its annual targets on Thursday after first-quarter bookings came in slightly above guidance, while the group continued to cut costs and gave limited new detail on its future release slate.

• Ubisoft reported first-quarter net bookings of 255.8 million euros ($300 million), down 9.2% year-on-year but slightly above its target of around 250 million euros.

• Ubisoft confirmed its 2026-27 targets, expects second-quarter bookings of around 370 million euros.

• The group said its transformation plan was progressing, citing the appointment of former Take-Two executive Christoph Hartmann to lead Creative House 2, as well as the closure of its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios.

• Ubisoft said "Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced", released on July 9, had sold 3.5 million copies within 14 days, beating its annual expectations and becoming the highest-rated Assassin's Creed title since the original Black Flag.

• The company's confirmed 2026-27 line-up includes "Rayman Legends Retold" and "Just Dance Decades of Hits", due in October, but Ubisoft gave no fresh details on other premium titles.

• Asked about the future pipeline, CFO Frederick Duguet said Ubisoft would "unveil more of the program more precisely in the year to come," adding that some major productions had been pushed to fiscal 2028 and fiscal 2029 to improve quality in a more selective market.

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk)