Ubisoft shares fall after new delay for ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’

Investing.com — Ubisoft ‘s (EPA:) shares fell over 6% on Friday after another delay for its video game series, Assassin’s Creed Shadows and lower guidance for fiscal year 2025. 

In an update, Ubisoft said that it has appointed “leading advisors” to explore potential alternatives after a three-month review by its Executive Committee aimed at improving operational performance. 

This move underscores an “aggressive stance” in addressing the company’s broader challenges, as per analysts at Stifel.

The highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Shadows, initially slated for release in November, has now been postponed for the third time, with a new launch date set for March 20, 2025. 

This marks yet another setback for one of Ubisoft’s flagship franchises. Analysts expressed concern that the repeated delays might weigh on the company’s momentum, despite management’s confidence in the title’s long-term potential.

In addition to the delay, Ubisoft lowered its net bookings guidance for FY2025 to €1.9 billion, representing an 18% year-over-year decline. 

This is down from a prior forecast of €1.95 billion, with the company attributing the shortfall to disappointing holiday sales, particularly for Star Wars Outlaws, and the discontinuation of XDefiant. 

The third-quarter net bookings outlook was slashed to €300 million, marking a 52% drop year-over-year and the lowest quarterly figure since FY2006, Stifel noted.

Despite this, Ubisoft’s updated guidance anticipates record net bookings of €958 million for the fourth quarter, surpassing the prior year’s peak of €873 million. 

However, analysts questioned the feasibility of this target, pointing out that it hinges heavily on Assassin’s Creed Shadows and new partnership opportunities.

Stifel further reduced its estimates for Ubisoft, projecting a FY25 loss of €0.44 per share on net bookings of €1.838 billion, down from previous expectations of a €0.38 loss on €1.907 billion. 

Despite forecasting net bookings of €2.057 billion for FY26, analysts noted uncertainty around the release of a new Far Cry game, which is essential for meeting those targets.