Latest news with #Guillemot
Int'l Business Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Games Giant Ubisoft Bets On Reorganisation To Dispel Blues
Struggling French video games giant Ubisoft shed light on a far-reaching reorganisation of its business Tuesday, as it reported disappointing sales in April-June. The internal rejig into a slew of autonomous units aims for "a more agile and focused organisation while ensuring necessary long-term stability and creative vision", chief executive Yves Guillemot said in a statement. Ubisoft reported 311 million euros ($364 million) of sales in the first quarter of its 2025-26 financial year, a fall of 3.9 percent compared with the same period last year, largely driven by technical problems with shooter game "Rainbow Six Siege". Acknowledging "mixed results", Guillemot nevertheless hailed the release of "Assassin's Creed Shadows". The latest instalment in the money-spinning franchise "delivered on its expectations, with now more than five million unique players since launch," he said in a statement. Sales were slightly less impacted, losing 2.9 percent, when measured using Ubisoft's own preferred indicator of "net bookings", which excludes some deferred revenues. The company forecast net bookings of around 450 million euros in its second financial quarter, boosted by new partnerships and revenue from TV series. For the full financial year, it confirmed objectives including stable year-on-year net bookings and "approximately break-even" operating profit. Ubisoft made a net loss of 159 million euros in 2024-25 and is in the midst of a cost-cutting plan that has seen it shut several studios outside France and slash over 2,000 jobs. Its woes reflect broader, global headwinds for the video games industry over the past two years. Guillemot -- a member of the founding family that has run Ubisoft for decades -- also said the company had made "meaningful progress" on the plan to split its activities among several "creative houses", each responsible for a different slate of games. Ubisoft has not gone into detail about the functioning of the new units or how its remaining franchises will be divided among them, promising further information about the reorganisation by October. In an email to staff last week seen by AFP, Guillemot had said the units would be "autonomous" and "completely responsible for their business objectives". Pressured to change by a string of disappointing releases and a slumping stock price, Ubisoft created the first such subsidiary earlier this year in a billion-euro deal with heavyweight Chinese investor Tencent. The 3,000-strong unit will control Ubisoft's biggest franchises in "Assassin's Creed", "Rainbow Six" and "Far Cry". Ubisoft said last week that the subsidiary will be run by the CEO's son Charlie Guillemot alongside Christophe Derennes, a veteran chief of the company's major development studio in Montreal. "Christophe, Charlie and their teams will benefit from advice and expertise from Tencent," one of China's largest gaming and internet firms, Yves Guillemot said in his email to staff. Looking ahead, Ubisoft plans to release in March a remake of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", one of its most popular titles from two decades ago. Strategy series "Anno" will get a new episode set in ancient Rome while the company is also cooking up mobile versions of "Rainbow Six" and fellow shooter "The Division". It warned in May however that several unannounced major titles were being delayed. Such news has contributed to a 28-percent slump in Ubisoft's stock price since January. Ubisoft's image has also been harmed by a high-profile case in which three former executives were sentenced this month for enabling a culture of sexual and psychological harassment.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Ubisoft confirms new Ghost Recon as it responds to Stop Killing Games petition
A new Ghost Recon game has been outed by Ubisoft, as it addresses its live service strategy moving forward. Rainbow Six Siege and The Division might be the biggest Tom Clancy titles for Ubisoft today, but there was a time when Ghost Recon was also part of that conversation. The tactical shooter series began in 2001, with a linear mission-based design where you command a squad of soldiers with different classes, but ever since 2017's Ghost Recon Wildlands, the games have been set in an open world environment. The last entry was 2019's Ghost Recon Breakpoint which was a critical and commercial flop. There have been rumours of a new entry for years, but Ubisoft has never announced anything regarding the series' future until now… sort of. As highlighted by Game File, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and CFO Frederick Duguet recently answered questions during its annual general shareholders' meeting, where he referred to a new unannounced entry in the Ghost Recon series for the first time. After Guillemot was asked about the publisher's history of making live service games, he pointed to the success of Rainbow Six Siege, stating: 'In addition to the flagship game that I just mentioned, our objective is to also make strong progress in the growing market, generally speaking, by continuing to enhance our current experiences that we offer – and capitalising on upcoming launches, such as The Division and Ghost Recon.' His comments suggest Ghost Recon will be a live service project in some capacity. Ubisoft previously planned a live service entry in the series titled Ghost Recon Frontline, but it was cancelled in July 2022. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. That cancellation came as a result of a fan revolt, complaining that it wasa Call Of Duty: Warzone style battle royale that had nothing in common with the original games. So turning the series into any kind of live service title doesn't sound like it will go down any better with existing fans. Duguet also brought up the subject of a new Ghost Recon later in the meeting, when asked about how Ubisoft plans to use its investment from Tencent, as part of the company's new subsidiary. According to Duguet, part of the investment will be 'used for development of other major brand names. So we've got… Ghost Recon is just one example, for our first person shooter type games.' It's unclear if this means the next Ghost Recon will predominantly switch to a first person perspective. In Breakpoint, there was an optional first person view but it was mostly played from a third person perspective, so this might indicate a return to the series' roots. When asked about Guillemot and Duguet's comments by Game File, a Ubisoft spokesperson said: 'Ghost Recon is an important and beloved brand for Ubisoft and our players and we look forward to sharing more when the time is right.' Elsewhere in the investors meeting, Ubisoft was asked about the petition Stop Killing Games, which is calling for regulation to stop modern games from being made inaccessible after a publisher cuts support. Guillemot was asked about the petition – which was partially inspired by Ubisoft's shut down of The Crew and has amassed over 1.4 million signatures – by an 'aggressive questioner'. 'Regarding the petition, we operate in a market,' he replied. 'And, whenever we release a game, we provide a lot of support for that game. We also provide a lot of services to make sure that the game is accessible and remains playable 24/7. More Trending 'So, we provide information regarding the game and how long the game can be played. And players and buyers are forewarned that eventually the game may be discontinued.' He added: 'So this is an issue that we've been dealing with. But this kind of issue is not specific to Ubisoft. All video game publishers are faced with that issue. 'You provide a service, but nothing is written in stone and at some point the service may be discontinued. Nothing is eternal. And we are doing our best to make sure that things go well for all players and buyers, because obviously support for all games cannot last forever.' Ubisoft's shut down of The Crew's servers sparked legal action from disgruntled players. The company later announced plans to release offline modes for The Crew 2 and The Crew: Motorfest, which are set to be released later this year. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Battlefield 6 name confirmed as official reveal date leaked ahead of time MORE: PS6 and next gen Xbox could cost over £1,000 based on AMD chip leak MORE: Here's how you can play Nintendo's secret online Switch game this month
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Ubisoft CEO responds to Stop Killing Games petition, says support for all titles cannot last forever
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has addressed the growing Stop Killing Games movement, which recently surpassed one million signatures following Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew in 2024. Speaking at a recent shareholders meeting, Guillemot noted the company's position on the issue while acknowledging the concerns raised by players. 'Regarding the petition, we operate in a market,' Guillemot stated, according to Game File. 'Whenever we release a game, we provide a lot of support for that game and services to keep it accessible and playable 24/7.' He added that Ubisoft includes information about how long games will remain playable, with notices on boxes indicating online requirements and the potential for features to end with 30 days' notice. He explained that while Ubisoft aims to support players, maintaining all games indefinitely is not feasible, emphasising, 'Support for all games cannot last forever.' The Stop Killing Games campaign calls for publishers to implement end-of-life plans that allow games to remain playable without ongoing support, rather than demanding perpetual updates. The movement has argued that this approach would ensure customers retain access to purchased titles even after online services are discontinued. Guillemot acknowledged the broader industry challenge, saying, 'Nothing is eternal. We are doing our best to make sure things go well for all players and buyers.' He added that while software eventually becomes obsolete, Ubisoft continues to consider how it manages transitions between game versions. The discussion comes as the Stop Killing Games petition moves towards legislative debate in the UK, amid ongoing global concerns about digital game preservation.
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Ubisoft Stock (UBSFY) Slips on New Leadership Changes
Ubisoft (UBSFY) stock was down on Thursday after the video game company appointed leaders for its new spin-off. Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot are the new co-CEOs of the company's spin-off with Tencent (TCEHY). Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. Derennes is joining the Ubisoft and Tencent spin-off, leaving his role as the managing director for Ubisoft's North America business. Guillemot is the son of Ubisoft co-founder Yves Guillemot. Guillemot addressed claims of nepotism, saying, 'Yes, I'm Yves' son. That's not something I hide from. But my appointment isn't only about family ties; it's about what Ubisoft needs at this moment.' Ubisoft and Tencent have created the new spin-off to change the game developer's operating model. This spin-off now holds the rights to the Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six brands. These are some of Ubisoft's biggest series, and this change will allow a better focus on them. Ubisoft Stock Movement Today Ubisoft stock was down 0.7% on Thursday, signaling possible displeasure from investors over its picks to lead its new spin-off with Tencent. The shares have also fallen 22.46% year-to-date and were down 56.41% over the past 12 months. The poor performance of Ubisoft's stock over the last year was the result of ongoing struggles at the video game developer. There was speculation earlier this year that it was about to file for bankruptcy. However, that appears to have been avoided thanks to Tencent's $1.25 billion investment in the company. Is Ubisoft Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Ubisoft (UBI) is Hold, based on two Buy, six Hold, and three Sell ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average UBI stock price target of €11.31, representing a potential 20.01% upside for the shares.
The Journal
04-07-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Public urged not to touch sick or dead wild birds amid ‘highly pathogenic' strain of bird flu
THE PUBLIC HAS been urged to steer clear of sick or dead wild birds and to do the same with pets. The Department of Agriculture has warned that a 'highly pathogenic' strain of bird flu - Avian Influenza H5N1 – is currently circulating in wild birds. This is especially the case in breeding seabirds around Ireland. Over the last three weeks there have been a number of cases of groups of dead wild sea birds washing up on shorelines in counties Kerry, Clare and Galway. This follows 'intensive surveillance' by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). A number of these birds have been tested by the Department of Agriculture and gulls and Guillemot have so far been confirmed with the H5N1 strain. File image of a common Guillemot in flight Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo It's warned that 'many multiples of that are likely to have H5N1'. In total, 25 wild birds have tested positive for this highly pathogenic bird flu so far this year. Bird flu is a notifiable animal disease and is a highly contagious viral disease affecting the respiratory, digestive and nervous systems of many species of birds. Advertisement It can also pose a threat to people and other animals in certain circumstances, but these types of infections are rare. As a result, the Department of Agriculture and HSE has advised people to refrain from touching sick or dead wild birds and to not bring sick wild birds home. Pets should be kept away from sick and dead wild birds and dogs should be kept on a leash where sick or dead wild birds are present. The Department of Agriculture carries out year round bird flu surveillance sampling and in areas where H5N1 has already been confirmed, it may not be necessary to collect further birds for sampling. The bird flu virus is very contagious among birds and can survive for several weeks in the environment. The faeces of infected birds also contain high levels of the virus and so the area can remain infective, irrespective of whether bird carcasses are removed from an area or not. Over the past number of months, the NPWS has been undertaking intensive monitoring and surveillance with a nationwide network of regional staff. This includes collecting information on seabirds from coastlines, key colonies and elsewhere across the island. Any suspected cases are reported to the Department of Agriculture for testing, which has responsibility for bird flu testing in Ireland. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has requested that all sick or dead wild birds are reported to the Avian Check app . While not all dead birds will be collected for testing, the Department said reporting is 'greatly appreciated and provides important information to support surveillance and risk assessment activities'. Detailed information on bird flu is available on the Department and websites. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
