If you were paying attention to gaming news yesterday, you might have noticed that several high-profile games were delayed. The Last of Us Part 2 was pushed back, but so was a trio of titles from Ubisoft. This seems to be partly related to the poor reception of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, something outlined in a statement by Ubisoft related to an earnings call.
“However, we have not capitalized on the potential of our latest two AAA releases. For Ghost Recon Breakpoint, while the game’s quality appeared on track–based on E3,Gamescom, previews and our latest internal playtests–, critical reception and sales during the game’s first weeks were very disappointing. As we have done with past titles, we will continue to support the game and listen to the community in order to deliver the necessary improvements.”
The statement goes on to give three reasons why they believe Breakpoint missed the mark, including not enough time between it and the previous iteration in the series, Ghost Recon Wildlands. It also states that Ubisoft’s strategy of introducing “gameplay innovations” has been well received in the past, which may be the case, but Ghost Recon Breakpoint didn’t really include a lot of innovation. Some of its more core systems were brought over from other Ubisoft games, such as the gear scores from The Division 2.
At the very least, it seems that Ubisoft is learning that their games aren’t unique enough. Many of their titles borrow heavily from others. Recently it’s been RPG mechanics in Far Cry New Dawn, The Division 2, and then Ghost Recon Breakpoint. It often leads to a feeling that you’re playing the same games over and over, just with different characters and stories.
As a result of the Ghost Recon Breakpoint backlash, Ubisoft announced that it was delaying three games. Gods & Monsters, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Watch_Dogs Legion will all be pushed back to 2020 or even 2021, with none of them getting specific release dates.
It’s good to see, really. Ubisoft has a knack for creating some very cool worlds and providing sandboxes full of fun times. If they’re seeing that maybe things are getting a bit wonky, good on them for pulling it back and addressing the problem.