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: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode
Updated 21 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Doctors by Nature’ by Jaap De Roode

Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature’s pharmacy to heal themselves.

“Doctors by Nature” reveals what researchers are now learning about the medical wonders of the animal world. In this visionary book, Jaap de Roode argues that we have underestimated the healing potential of nature for too long and shows how the study of self-medicating animals could impact the practice of human medicine.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Once More to the Lake’

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Updated 21 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Once More to the Lake’

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  • What makes the essay unforgettable is its quiet dread

E.B. White’s 1941 essay “Once More to the Lake” (from his collection “One Man’s Meat”) is a masterclass in how nostalgia can warp our grip on time.

Returning to a childhood vacation spot in Maine — now with his son in tow — White confronts a haunting truth: Places outlive people, even as they mirror our mortality.

At its heart, the essay is about doubling. Watching his son fish and swim in the same waters, White slips into a surreal haze torn between seeing himself as father and child. The lake’s stillness tricks him into believing nothing has changed — until modernity intrudes.

Those once-quiet mornings? Now punctured by motorboats, their “restless” engines churning the peace he remembers.

What makes the essay unforgettable is its quiet dread. White’s prose drips with tactile details: The “sweet chill” of a dawn swim, the scent of pine needles and the creak of old rowboats.

But this vividness sharpens the sting of his realization. In the final lines, a sudden rainstorm snaps the illusion. As his son buttons a raincoat, White feels time’s verdict: “Suddenly my groin felt the cold chill of death.”

Stylistically, White avoids grand pronouncements. Instead, he lets small moments — a dragonfly’s hover, the click of a fishing rod — carry the weight of existential awe.

Decades later, the essay still resonates. Why? Because we have all clung to a memory-place, willing it to defy time. White’s genius lies in showing how that very act binds us to life’s fleetingness.

For me, the most haunting takeaway is this: We are all temporary visitors to “fade-proof” landscapes. The lake remains. We do not.

 


What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie

What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie
Updated 20 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie

What We Are Reading Today: John and Paul by Ian Leslie

Ian Leslie’s “John and Paul” traces the shared journey of John Lennon and Paul McCartney before, during and after The Beatles, offering us both a new look at two of the greatest icons in music history, and rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration, and human intimacy.

The two shared a private language, rooted in the stories, comedy and songs they both loved as teenagers, and later, in the lyrics of Beatles songs.


What We Are Reading Today: The Revolution to Come

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Updated 19 April 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: The Revolution to Come

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  • “The Revolution to Come” traces how evolving conceptions of history ushered in a faith in the power of revolution to create more just and reasonable societies

Author: Dan Edelstein

Political thinkers from Plato to John Adams saw revolutions as a grave threat to society and advocated for a constitution that prevented them by balancing social interests and forms of government.
“The Revolution to Come” traces how evolving conceptions of history ushered in a faith in the power of revolution to create more just and reasonable societies.
Taking readers from Greek antiquity to Leninist Russia, Dan Edelstein describes how classical philosophers viewed history as chaotic and directionless, and sought to keep historical change, especially revolutions, at bay.

 


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.