Less AAA competition makes delays easier - Ubisoft

When preparing a blockbuster AAA game, quality takes precedence over launch timing. That's according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, who discussed the subject with investors during Ubisoft's earnings call after the company delayed planned 2018 release Skull & Bones to the 2019-2020 fiscal year today.

"What we see now is we can launch games whenever we are ready and whenever we want," Guillemot said, "just because there's a good appetite for new products on the market, thanks to the fact that there are less big games coming to the industry. That gives us the possibility to choose when to launch, because it's really the quality that will make the difference."

Ubisoft projects few revenue worries despite being down a major release this year and planning only 3-4 AAA titles on average per year, down from a past 5-6 average. Guillemot cites the back catalog, live services, and other digital content as a way to keep profits strong. There's also the recent partnership with Tencent, which Ubisoft will use to bring games such as Rainbow Six Siege to China on both PC and mobile:

"This deal is on PC, with a few products that will be published by Tencent," said Guillemot on the deal. "Some of them will be re-launches like Rainbow Six Siege. Rainbow Six will be relaunched by Tencent as early as possible."

"The mobile agreement is an agreement that is going to help us grow tremendously our presencense in China. The agreement gives us the opportunity to create a few games together that will be launched in China, and in the rest of the world."

Specifics on what those mobile games might be were not forthcoming, though at another point in the call, Guillemot spoke on the possibility of bringing AAA games not only to PC and console, but also to mobile either running on the devices themselves, or through streaming.