Ubisoft Still Planning 5 AAA Releases For FY 2020-21, But Might Delay One Due To COVID-19

Ubisoft’s lineup of releases for fiscal year 2020-21 (which lasts until March 31, 2021) is looking extremely impressive, and very, very packed, and during their recent quarterly financial briefing, they re-iterated that they have quite a few releases planned for the coming months.

While talking about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that though the company still plans to release 5 major AAA games in the period, the uncertainty of the rapidly evolving situation might force a change in plans. Citing things such as remote work requirements and the economic impacts of the pandemic, Guilletmot stated that one of the five planned AAA releases might end up getting delayed into the next fiscal year, but of course stopped short of saying which one that might be.

“The COVID-19 crisis calls for prudence, as numerous uncertainties have arisen,” Guillemot said. “The transition to working from home has had short-term repercussions on our production, for the time being limited to few weeks. The coming months will provide more visibility on whether we can maintain our release plans. Additionally, it is unclear what effects the economic crisis is going to have on the operating conditions of our business partners and on consumer spending.

“For the sake of transparency and in order to reflect the potential impact of those external uncertainties, we have decided to supplement our targets with a range. The bottom range presents our estimate of the impact that these external factors could have if they were to actually materialize. It notably reflects the possibility that we decide to postpone the release of a AAA title to 2021-22, if it ensures to maximize the long-term potential of our line-up.”

Four of these five major upcoming releases have already been announced. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla releases this Holiday season, while Watch Dogs: Legion is also reportedly planned as a launch title for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Additionally, Rainbow Six Quarantine and Gods and Monsters are currently scheduled to come out before April 2021.

The fifth game hasn’t yet been announced, but reports suggest that it is going to be Far Cry 6. Whether or not that ends up being true is probably something we will find out in July with Ubisoft Forward, the company’s E3-style digital showcase for new reveals and updates.