Ubisoft is one of the leading video game companies, acting both as a developer and publisher, with subsidiaries across the world and many well-known games and franchises like Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, Rayman, and Far Cry.
The company was founded in 1986 in northwest France as a small sales business but eventually branched into the videogames industry with its first game Trivial Pursuit. Their second game, Zombi, was a critical and commercial success. Later with the publishing of Rayman, the studio was put on the world map. Ubisoft games usually perform well financially, making massive profits for the company.
Updated on October 22, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Ubisoft is one of the most prolific developers and publishers of video games out there, churning out a ton of games every year that definitely end up being a hot topic of conversation for reasons both good and bad. Regardless of a player's personal feelings towards the developer, there's no denying that Ubisoft is a huge player in the video game industry with its fair share of hits and misses. Here are some of the highest-selling titles that the studio has produced over its lifetime.
18 Assassin's Creed 2 - 9 Million
Assassin's Creed 2 is one of the best games in the series, and the title that arguably brought the series the fame it enjoys to this day. The story of Ezio Auditore is a fantastic one, and the fact that it spans three titles is even more of a treat.
The sales of Assassin's Creed 2 were through the roof, with most people considering this title to be one of the greatest games ever made. So, fittingly enough, it also holds the title of being one of the company's best-selling Assassin's Creed game.
17 Watch Dogs - 9 Million
The indications for good commercial performance of Watch Dogs came before the game was even released. It was the most pre-ordered new intellectual property and most pre-ordered game for eight generations of consoles. This culminated in the game being the most preordered game of the year with 800,000 copies.
Initially, the company's executives expected the game to sell more than a million copies. The expectations were met and after the first week, four million copies of the game have been sold. In a report later handed to the public, Ubisoft confirmed that the game sold more than 9 million copies.
16 Assassin’s Creed: Unity - 10 Million
After its time in the spotlight, people started getting tired of the yearly Assassin's Creed releases. The games simply didn't have that draw anymore, and the popularity of the franchise was hit even harder with the buggy launch of Assassin's Creed: Unity.
However, over time, the reception towards Assassin's Creed: Unity has certainly eased up a bit. Players have finally started appreciating the strong point of this title, leading to a rise in sales and helping it become one of the best-selling Assassin's Creed game of all time.
15 Far Cry 4 - 10 Million
The Far Cry series is easily one of Ubisoft's most popular IPs. Each and every title after the third game has been a financial success across the board, and Far Cry 4 is no exception to this golden rule.
The game has sold over 10 million units, even though the game felt extremely identical to its predecessor. However, it was clear that most players didn't mind, and the game ended up adding to the massive success of the Far Cry series.
14 Far Cry 3 - 10 Million
Initially, pre-orders for the game were low, but that didn't worry Ubisoft too much. Rightfully so, apart from being later a financial success with more than 10 million copies sold, it was met with critical acclaim, something that the two previous entries failed to achieve. This remained true even though they were quite good games.
In the first week of its release, it was the second bestselling game behind Call of Duty: Black Ops II, while during Christmas, Far Cry 3 topped the charts.
13 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon The Division 2 - 10 Million
As with many other Tom Clancys games, The Division 2 also had good sales, although less than the previous entry. The game was, for example, number 1 in terms of sales in the United Kingdom, while it also topped the PlayStation 4 download charts. In other markets and formats, the sales were equally strong.
Although the game sold more than 10 million copies, Ubisoft later stated that was below their expectations, and as a reason for failure noted the increased competition in the genre as the main factor. Since the game was published in 2019, there is a strong indication that its lifetime sales will increase.
12 Assassin Creed: Origins - 10 Million
Assassins Creed: Origins is the tenth major installment in the series, this time set in Ancient Egypt. Assassins Creed games always sold well, Assasins Creed: Origins is no exception. Upon release, the game was a bestselling entry in the United Kingdom, while in the United States only Middle-earth: Shadow of War sold better.
The game's sales later totaled over 10 million, proving that the franchise is still a safe and successful business. Since the game was four years in development, and at a peak had a production staff of 1,000 people that is not really a surprise.
11 Tom Clancys Ghost Recon Wildlands - 10 Million
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands was released in 2017 as the tenth installment in Tom Clancy's franchise, and as the first game in the series to feature an open-world environment. The game's beta version attracted more than 6 million players, which was at the time an indication of the good commercial performance of the game.
When released the game was one of the biggest launches in the year of its publishing. It became the second fastest-selling game in the series, while simultaneously being the bestselling game in the United Kingdom and the United States in the month of its release.
10 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege - 10 Million
Tom Clancy's: Rainbow Six Siege officially has 45 million registered players across all platforms, however, that doesn't mean that it sold 45 million copies. The last available information from Ubisoft point that the game sold more than 10 million copies, so we will have to stick to that.
Although initial sales were mediocre, with various post-releases and constant updates, the game's player based doubled since its launch. Additionally, the two previous entries on this list were also published, adding to more interest in the game. Tom Clancys Rainbows Six Siege also became a popular Esports game.
9 Watch Dogs 2 - 10 Million
Following the success of the first game, Ubisoft's executives decided to create a franchise like its other games. Preorders for Watch Dogs 2 were low which led Ubisoft to reduce sales projection for the game, although its CEO was still confident in the game, and believed it will be a financial success. He was right. The game to this day sold more than 10 million copies and is a relatively new game on the market that number increases every day.
The sales of the game were pretty similar to that of the original game, so was its critical reception. All that led to the third entry in the series, published a year after, called Watch Dogs: Legion.
8 Assassins Creed: Odyssey - 10 Million
Assassins Creed: Odyssey is a sequel to Origins. The time and the place of the game moved back and is now set several hundred years before Christ in Ancient Greece, during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens.
While the story is different, sales numbers aren't, and like the previous game, it sold more than 10 million copies. Lifetime sales are still increasing considering the game was published in 2018. It is also worth noting that around 40 percent of sales were in digital form.
7 Assassin's Creed 3 - 12 Million
The Assassin's Creed series has some of the greatest video games ever made, even if the reception to its latest titles has been lukewarm at best. Regardless, there's no denying that the earlier titles in the series have been pretty great in their own right.
Assassin's Creed 3 had its fair share of critics, but there's no denying that the game was still a blast to play through. Connor was an interesting character, and exploring his story in the game made for a breath of fresh air since players were definitely getting tired of Ezio's character after a point.
6 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time - 14 Million
The Assassin's Creed series is one of Ubisoft's flagship franchises... and it probably would've never been made if the Prince of Persia trilogy didn't exist. The first game in the series, The Sands of Time, was an incredible title that wowed players upon its arrival.
The smooth nature of the game's platforming coupled with its great combat made this game an absolute masterpiece that fans still love to this day. Later games in the series might've made more questionable design choices, but The Sands of Time still stands strong as one of the greatest action platformers ever made.
5 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - 15 Million
There are many contenders for the best Assassin's Creed game of all time, and Black Flag is definitely one of them. This title oversaw the journey of Edward Kenway, a pirate who slowly discovered the order of Assassins while traveling the high seas.
The game's open-world exploration is in a class of its own, and it helps that both on-foot and naval combat are great. Black Flag was definitely a high point for the series, and many people argue that Assassin's Creed has never reached this level of success with its later entries.
4 Tom Clancy's The Division - 20 Million
Tom Clancy's The Division is an online game published in 2016, set in the open-world environment of Manhattan, where a viral pandemic caused chaos. Looking from today's corona-perspective the whole situation is pretty realistic.
Ubisoft announced that the game set numerous records for the company, like having the highest number of first-day sales and becoming the company's bestselling game. The game topped all major markets - United Kingdom, Japan, and United States, making massive profits for Ubisoft. The game's sales later climbed to 20 million copies and are still raising.
3 For Honor - 21 Million
The combat of For Honor was the biggest draw of the game, and the fact that players could duel online by experimenting around with this combat system certainly helped. The initial reception to this game was fairly muted, but this impression — and consequently, sales — became more and more positive over time.
A difficult and original combat system is hard to pull off, but Ubisoft has managed to make major steps in this department. One can only wait and see how the inevitable sequel will improve upon this system.
2 The Crew - 21 Million
Racing games are a niche that only a few games have managed to dominate. IPs like Need for Speed and Forza Horizon are the first names that come to mind in this regard, but a surprising inclusion on this list is also The Crew.
The games might not make headlines, but their sales speak for themselves. Ubisoft really is a jack-of-all-trades, and the fact that they've managed to carve out their reputation across a host of different genres should definitely be lauded.
1 Far Cry 5 - 25 Million
Far Cry 5 is a follower of a concept used in previous stories. It's an open-world environment, but this time, it's set in Montana where a doomsday cult has taken control of the county. The game's development and research were extensive with the company's subsidiaries working on it.
The game was the fastest-selling entry in the Far Cry franchise, grossing more than 300 million dollars in the first week of its release. Sources say that Far Cry 5 sold more than 25 million copies making it the bestselling Ubisoft game. Its sequel, Far Cry 6 was released in 2021.