Star Wars: Outlaws Sales Expected to Dwindle

Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws Underperforms, Impacting Share Price

Ubisoft's highly anticipated Star Wars Outlaws has reportedly fallen short of sales expectations, negatively impacting the company's share price. The game, intended as a key financial driver for Ubisoft, experienced a less-than-stellar launch despite positive critical reception.

Ubisoft's Financial Hopes and the Impact of Underperformance

Ubisoft positioned Star Wars Outlaws, alongside the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows (AC Shadows), as crucial components of its long-term financial strategy. The company's Q1 2024-25 sales report emphasized the importance of these titles in reshaping its financial outlook. While reporting a 15% increase in console and PC session days, largely due to Games-as-a-Service, and a 7% year-on-year increase in monthly active users (MAUs) to 38 million, the underperformance of Star Wars Outlaws casts a shadow on these positive trends.

Sales figures for Star Wars Outlaws have been characterized as "sluggish." J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven revised his sales projections downward from 7.5 million units to 5.5 million units by March 2025, citing the game's failure to meet expectations despite favorable reviews.

The game's underperformance directly contributed to a two-day decline in Ubisoft's share price, falling 5.1% on Monday, September 3rd, and a further 2.4% by Tuesday morning. This drop marked the lowest share price since 2015, adding to an overall decline of over 30% since the beginning of the year.

Mixed Reception and Future Outlook

While critics generally praised Star Wars Outlaws, player reception appears less enthusiastic, reflected in a 4.5 out of 10 user score on Metacritic. Conversely, Game8 awarded the game a 90/100 rating, hailing it as an exceptional title. The discrepancy highlights a significant gap between critical acclaim and player engagement. For a more in-depth perspective on Star Wars Outlaws, consult our review (link below).