Ubisoft recently had its annual earnings call, and CEO Yves Guillemot and other company spokespersons had a lot of interesting things to say Assassin's Creed franchise, the use of generative AI in game development and future game releases. The past few years have been rocky for Ubisoft, though Assassin's Creed Shadows appears to be a high point for the company, while the embrace of generative AI may cause some controversy.
The wait for Ubisoft's earnings call was filled with drama, as last week the company canceled the report just minutes before it was originally scheduled to take place. There were plenty of theories as to what caused the cancellation, with some of the most popular being that Ubisoft had either been sold or parted ways with investor and partner Tencent. However, that's not the case, and Ubisoft's reasoning for pushing back the earnings call by six days was simply because the company hired new accountants over the summer. While that development proved anticlimactic, there were still plenty of fascinating details shared during the earnings call.
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Assassin's Creed Shadows and the franchise as a whole is still going strong, while Rainbow Six Siege sees peaks and valleys
According to Guillemot, Assassin's Creed Shadows has been a hit for the company this year. While actual sales numbers were not disclosed on the call, Guillemot said the entire franchise “overperformed.” In addition, the release of Assassin's Creed Mirages latest expansion, The valley of memorypushed the game's player count past 10 million. Unfortunately, there was no official word on the long-awaited Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake.
When it comes to Rainbow Six Siegeit's been a little rockier. The game remains one of Ubisoft's most popular offerings, but an increase in cheating has caused player numbers to drop recently. Despite the current decline in numbers, Rainbow Six Siege saw a huge player spike over the summer, which is still a success for the game. When addressing Rainbow Six Sieges issues during the call, Ubisoft confirmed that the company has “identified the main issues and is actively addressing them with a robust plan.”
Ubisoft and Tencent's new partnership is reportedly off to a good start
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Vantage Studios was officially announced back in October.
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This new subsidiary of Ubisoft and Tencent will oversee IP-like Assassin's Creed, Far Cryand Rainbow Six.
The earnings call also revealed that Tencent's investment deal in Vantage Studios is on track to close within days. Tencent is expected to invest $1.25 billion in the brand new studio. This partnership between the companies will affect the future of some of Ubisoft's most cherished franchises, so it will be interesting to see what it has in store.
According to CEO Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft is All-In on Generative AI in game development
At the start of the earnings call, Guillemot began by praising the use of generative AI in game development. He said, “We're making great strides in applying Gen AI to valuable use cases that provide tangible benefits to our players and teams… It's as big a revolution for our industry as the transition to 3D. And we have everything to lead on this front.” Beyond that, Guillemot mentioned building on Ubisoft's Neo NPC project that was revealed last year, while claiming that all production teams at the company used the technology for “programming, art and overall game quality.” This isn't exactly shocking, as Ubisoft has previously been vocal about embracing AI, but Guillemot's statements come at a fascinating time.
AI in game development has been a hot topic for the past year, and it tends to be a controversial one. In fact, it's not the first time this week that Ubisoft has been in the news because of AI. Last week the company made a statement about Anno 117: Pax Romanas use of AI art. Ubisoft is far from the only company recently under fire for this either. Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Kraftons Subnautica 2 have both been part of the AI debate over the past week.
We're making great strides in applying Gen AI to valuable use cases that deliver tangible benefits to our players and teams…It's as big a revolution for our industry as the move to 3D.
Ubisoft has four games planned for the first quarter of 2026
- Rainbow Six Siege Mobile
- The division is resurrected
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake
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Unadvertised game
The first three games on the list have been expected for a while, but one of the most interesting details is the secret title that was mentioned. As said before, quite a lot Assassin's Creed fans have been eagerly waiting for one Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake to become reality. Of course, there's no way to know for sure until Ubisoft makes an announcement, but this year has been jam-packed Black flag rumors and speculations. That would be big news for many gamers, but only time will tell if that's the secret Ubisoft has up its sleeve.
Matt Ryan, the voice of Black flag protagonist Edward Kenway, teased the remake at a fan convention earlier this year, sparking more rumors.
Also, earlier this month, alleged leaks of Far cry 7 on the internet and reignited interest in the long-awaited next chapter. Ubisoft has remained incredibly quiet Far cry 7and while it's less likely that this is the release the unannounced 2026 title is referring to, it's still not impossible. Despite Ubisoft's secrecy, there have been plenty of leaks and rumors about Far cry 7with some even denied, such as claims that actor Cillian Murphy would play the main villain. Between a fictional setting inspired by North Korea to rumors of an in-game timer, Far cry 7 has remained as mysterious as it desired Black flag remake. With The Game Awards around the corner, Ubisoft's secret 2026 game will hopefully be announced, but as of now all gamers can do is wait and see.
Source: Game file
