Rivalries within the video game industry are numerous and well-known. Even when you don’t think of certain titles as “rivals,” they absolutely can be, especially if they are within the same genre or released within a certain amount of time to one another. Today, Ubisoft made a big announcement by stating Assassin’s Creed Shadows would be delayed until February 2025. That’s a big deal for them as they arguably “needed” a big victory for their brand after the lackluster releases of two other “big-name” titles in 2024. Plus, they had already done large-scale promotions for it, including teaming up with AEW wrestler Will Ospreay to promote it at Wembley Stadium.
Regardless, it’s now a title releasing next year, which puts it in a curious position thanks to a certain other announced title via yesterday’s State of Play event: Ghost of Yotei. This is a follow-up to the beloved Sucker Punch Samurai title and will give players a new “ghost” to play, new mechanics to enjoy, and is even set 300 years after the first title.
That means that in 2024, there are two very different, yet somewhat similar, Samurai action titles to try out. As noted by VGC, the head of Ubisoft isn’t “worried” about potential conflict between the two titles:
“I would like to say that there’s a lot of space for very high quality games, and those two games can sell very well,” CEO Yves Guillemot.
On the one hand, he is right about there being “a lot of space” for them, especially since only Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a release date right now, while Sucker Punch’s title is only slated for 2025. Thus, if it were to be released in the back half of the year, there would be plenty of time for Ubisoft’s title to release and get the sales it needs, and then gamers can play the other title.
However, there is a flip side to this. If, on the off chance, Sucker Punch decides to release its title close to Ubisoft’s game, that could cause issues. Plus, the reason for Ubisoft delaying its game was to “ensure the quality of the title upon launch,” a problem they’ve been having quite a bit of recently.
In contrast, with Sucker Punch, they’re known for releasing quality titles the first time out, and its last game wasn’t just near-perfect at launch, it was hailed as one of the best video games of its generation. So, what do you think will happen with this sequel? Exactly.
Ubisoft is likely “fine” no matter what, but a little worry is warranted.
