Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin’s Creed’ hits shelves

Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin’s Creed’ hits shelves
The Korean edition packages of "Assassin's Creed Shadows" for PlayStation 5 are displayed for sale at video game shop Hanwoori in Seoul on March 20, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 21 March 2025
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Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin’s Creed’ hits shelves

Europe games industry on edge as ‘Assassin’s Creed’ hits shelves

PARIS: Thursday’s release of action-adventure epic “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” marks a make-or-break moment not just for struggling French games heavyweight Ubisoft, but for the entire European gaming ecosystem.

With its almost 18,000 employees and global footprint, Ubisoft has nevertheless suffered one setback after another in recent years with disappointing releases, a dwindling stock price, harassment allegations against former bosses and repeated strikes.

The company is falling back on its longtime major money-spinner “Assassin’s Creed” to pull it from the doldrums, this time with an episode set in medieval Japan.

“I’ve never seen things this way” as the whole European industry looks to Ubisoft, Midcap Partners analyst Charles-Louis Planade told AFP ahead of the launch.

More than 17 Ubisoft studios employing hundreds have poured five years of work into “Shadows,” with an estimated budget running into hundreds of millions of euros.

Early reviews have been positive, with the game receiving a “generally favorable” score of 81/100 on review aggregation site Metacritic.

That was one point higher than “Valhalla,” the 2020 release that has so far been the high point of the series’ profitability.

The latest instalment “looks better and plays better than nearly any other entry in Ubisoft’s 18-year-old series,” American games journalist Stephen Totilo wrote on his website Game File.

Meanwhile, gaming site IGN’s review of “Shadows” said it “sharpens and refines (the series’) edge without fully reforging it.”

“Shadows” was partly developed at Ubisoft’s studio in Quebec City, Canada.

The artistic director of Ubisoft-Quebec, Thierry Dansereau, told AFP at a launch event in the city that the company’s “developers did everything they could to create the best game possible.”

A lack of major changes to the game’s mechanics could risk “leaving some players worn out,” said Julien Pillot, an economist specializing in the cultural industries.

He suggested that Ubisoft’s recent underwhelming releases “may be a sign that audiences are falling out of love with its games.”

Nevertheless, Planade said that “everyone is crossing their fingers for this release to be a huge success.”

He said a poor sales showing could provoke a knock-on effect across the entire industry, noting that in France alone, Ubisoft accounts for almost one-third of the country’s 15,000 jobs in games development

In a social media post, Ubisoft said the release appeared to be a success.

“It’s not even 4PM here in Canada and Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!” the company said on X.

Many budding creators pass through Ubisoft after completing their training, while former employees have founded new studios in France and around the world.

The company in 2023 launched a cost-cutting drive including studio closures and almost 2,000 layoffs.

The belt-tightening did not save Ubisoft from judgment on financial markets, with the stock falling from more than 100 euros ($109 at today’s rates) 10 years ago to its all-time low of 9.01 euros in September.

Ubisoft shares had fallen almost 5.6 percent on Wednesday to trade at 12.60 euros by the time markets closed, despite the good early reviews for “Shadows.”

Even before release of the hoped-for blockbuster, Ubisoft said it was “actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options” for its future.

Early rumors suggested that could involve going private with help from Chinese tech giant Tencent, a major investor that holds 10 percent of Ubisoft.

More recently, multiple outlets have reported that the group could sell off much of its games catalogue to focus on its core titles.

“Every option is on the table” for Ubisoft’s future, Planade said, with commercial success for “Shadows” likely to strengthen Ubisoft’s hand in the negotiations.


What We Are Reading Today: Pronoun Trouble

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Updated 18 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Pronoun Trouble

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  • A prolific author of books on language, McWhorter continues to captivate readers with his trademark humour and flair

Author: John McWhorter

This concise overview of English pronouns covers various linguistic topics in an accessible manner. Author John McWhorter maintains a straightforward approach but incorporates engaging elements to keep the book captivating.

McWhorter’s writing style is consistently enjoyable.

He possesses a talent for simplifying complex concepts through humour and relatable examples from popular culture.

A prolific author of books on language, McWhorter continues to captivate readers with his trademark humour and flair. In this book, the renowned linguist and professor debunks myths and illuminates the history of the most contentious language topic: pronouns. McWhorter‚ presentation of linguistics and language evolution is clear, entertaining, and persuasive.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Europe and the Wolf’ by Sara Nadal-Mesio

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Europe and the Wolf’ by Sara Nadal-Mesio
Updated 17 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Europe and the Wolf’ by Sara Nadal-Mesio

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Europe and the Wolf’ by Sara Nadal-Mesio

In this stunningly original book, Sara Nadal-Melsio explores how the work of several contemporary artists illuminates the current crisis of European universalist values amid the brutal realities of exclusion and policing of borders.  

The “wolf” is the name Baroque musicians gave to the dissonant sound produced in any attempt to temper and harmonize an instrument.

Europe and the Wolf brings this musical figure to bear on contemporary aesthetic practices that respond to Europe’s ongoing social and political contradictions.

Throughout, Nadal-Melsio understands Europe as a conceptual problem that often relies on harmonization as an organizing category.

The “wolf” as an emblem of disharmony, incarnated in the stranger, the immigrant, or the refugee, originates in the Latin proverb “man is a wolf to man.”


What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Economics of Over-the-Counter Markets’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Economics of Over-the-Counter Markets’
Updated 16 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Economics of Over-the-Counter Markets’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Economics of Over-the-Counter Markets’

Authors: Julien Hugonnier, Benjamin Lester, And Pierre-Olivier Weill

Many of the largest financial markets in the world do not organize trade through an exchange but rather operate within a decentralized or over-the-counter structure.

Understanding how these markets work has become increasingly important in recent years, as illiquidity in certain OTC markets has appeared as the first signs of trouble—if not the cause itself—of the past two financial crises.


REVIEW: ‘Atomfall’ is a quirky apocalypse featuring retro paranoia and tea-fueled resilience

REVIEW: ‘Atomfall’ is a quirky apocalypse featuring retro paranoia and tea-fueled resilience
Updated 16 April 2025
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REVIEW: ‘Atomfall’ is a quirky apocalypse featuring retro paranoia and tea-fueled resilience

REVIEW: ‘Atomfall’ is a quirky apocalypse featuring retro paranoia and tea-fueled resilience

LONDON: “Atomfall” is a game that defies easy categorization. Set in a post-apocalyptic version of the English Lake District, this curious hybrid feels like “Fallout” wandered into a “Stalker” fever dream while binge-watching “The Wicker Man,” with just a touch of Austin Powers’ absurdity thrown in for good measure.

It’s a love letter to Britain’s eerie countryside, retro paranoia and weird tea-fueled resilience — and somehow, it works.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Atomfall (@atomfallgame)

You start as a nameless survivor with no real background, no memory, and no clear purpose beyond “get out.” A short newsreel hints at some nuclear disaster, but from there, it’s up to you to piece things together through exploration and investigation. There’s no hand-holding here, but there are helpful instructions to get you going. The narrative is loose, but intriguingly so — it’s more about what you discover than what you’re told.

The open world is split into main landscape regions, each with its own aesthetic and mood. The Lake District setting is surprisingly atmospheric, with moody hills, foggy forests, and crumbling 1950s architecture.

Despite its muted palette, Atomfall encourages players to explore every inch — scavenging for materials, unlocking secrets, and finding absurd British cultural relics. Limited ammo and classic crafting mechanics add a layer of survival challenge, making every encounter feel like it matters.

Gameplay offers distinct playstyles — combat, survival, and exploration.

You can go in guns blazing, sneak around enemies, or scrounge for supplies and tea (yes, tea restores health). Combat is functional, though not always tight. Shooting and melee work well enough, but enemy AI is hit-or-miss. Sometimes they’ll charge you recklessly; other times they just stand there wondering what planet they’re on. Melee is especially satisfying, though clunky in tight spaces. Likewise, while outlaws, druids, mutants and soldiers are all nominally different challenges they are much of a muchness in terms of dealing with them.

“Atomfall” doesn’t shy away from the odd. Its dark humor and sheer Britishness give it a special charm, but the heavy use of local slang and regional accents may confuse non-UK players. Picture “Clockwork Orange” meets “Hot Fuzz” and you’re halfway there. Still, it’s part of the game’s identity — this is a very specific apocalypse, where people ask you to fetch delivery parcels and fix a fence while the world burns around them.

There is a basic but useful skill tree that lets you tailor your approach, from combat proficiency to crafting perks. Quests are often simple (“bring X to Y”), but branching conversations and trackable leads give them some depth. Your choices in dialogue can impact outcomes — sometimes subtly, sometimes with unexpected consequences.

Enemy respawns after death are a mixed blessing. On one hand, it keeps the world dangerous. On the other, it can feel like busywork when you’re simply trying to pass through.

“Atomfall” is weird, scrappy, and full of character. It doesn’t have the polish of a AAA giant, but it doesn’t try to. Instead, it offers a delightfully odd, open-ended experience that rewards curiosity and embraces chaos. For those willing to roll with its eccentricities, “Atomfall” is a radioactive romp worth taking.
 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Turtles of the World’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Turtles of the World’
Updated 15 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Turtles of the World’

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Turtles of the World’

Authors: Jeffrey E. Lovich & Whit Gibbons

“Turtles of the World” reveals the extraordinary diversity of these amazing reptiles.

Characterized by the bony shell that acts as a shield to protect the softer body within, turtles are survivors from the time of the dinosaurs and are even more ancient in evolutionary terms than snakes and crocodilians. Of more than 350 species known today, some are highly endangered. 

In this beautiful guide, turtle families, subfamilies, and genera are illustrated with hundreds of color photographs.