Ubisoft has been making plenty of headlines in the news recently for better or worse. In the company’s first-quarter earnings call, Ubisoft officially announced when its next Ubisoft Forward digital event will be taking place.
COVID-19 has caused the world to basically shut down and cancel events throughout the Summer, which is typically when video game fans can expect the industry's biggest announcements. But since E3 2020 has been canceled, publishers who typically hold Summer conferences for E3 have shifted focus to digital events. Ubisoft is taking that a step further by having more than one digital event to showcase its large array of upcoming games.
At the conclusion of its first digital event, Ubisoft confirmed that fans can expect another Ubisoft Forward this year. In the first-quarter earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the publisher plans to hold its next Ubisoft Forward conference in September. While Guillemot confirmed the event month, he didn’t offer a specific date.
Ubisoft held its first digital conference on July 12. On the call, Chief Financial Officer Frederick Duget mentioned that the July Ubisoft Forward event generated historical viewership and the response from fans was very promising. Duget even noted that viewership was higher for the Ubisoft Forward than it was for previous E3 conferences.
The first Ubisoft Forward of 2020 was used to showcase previously delayed Ubisoft games as well as announce Far Cry 6, which features Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito. Ubisoft offered updates on Watch Dogs Legion which is now slated to release on October 29, and confirmed a November release date for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Also, Ubisoft utilized the time to show off its newest project, Hyper Scape, which is the company’s jump into the battle royal genre.
Recently, Ubisoft has found itself in hot water as allegations of abuse and misconduct directed toward employees have begun to make headlines. In a related report, developers spoke anonymously to explain that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was going to focus on its female protagonist, Kassandra before other executives stepped in and forced a male lead as well. According to the report, higher-ups at Ubisoft believe that “women don’t sell.”
Source: VGC