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Black Flag Remake Tops Sales as Ubisoft Reports Falling Q1 Revenue and More Cuts

The surprise commercial success shows remakes can deliver quick returns, reshaping Ubisoft's strategy toward fewer big-budget releases.

Overview

  • Ubisoft disclosed on July 23 that Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced sold 3.5 million copies in its first 14 days, exceeding the company’s full-year sales expectation for the title.
  • The firm’s April–June quarter showed net bookings of €255.8 million and revenue of €268.2 million, declines of about 9.2% and 13.7% year-on-year respectively, but net bookings were slightly above guidance.
  • Management said some major projects have been pushed into fiscal 2028–2029 to improve quality, and it kept full-year guidance with Q2 bookings expected around €370 million.
  • Ubisoft has accelerated restructuring that includes the closure of its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios and proposed further rightsizing that has led to layoffs and staff strikes at Barcelona.
  • Executives framed the Resynced win as proof that lower-cost remakes and live-service and mobile revenue can generate faster returns, a strategy that helped trigger a sharp share-price drop as investors weighed near-term revenue declines and cost cuts.