Why Did Star Wars Outlaws Fail?
While interest in the Star Wars universe has persisted for years, Ubisoft’s new game, Star Wars Outlaws, failed to achieve the expected success. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained the reasons behind the game’s failure at a recent shareholder meeting, and some of his statements sparked controversy among fans.
Why Were Star Wars Outlaws Sales Low?
Yves Guillemot directly stated at the meeting that Star Wars Outlaws failed to meet its sales targets. The game sold only 1 million copies in its first month, far below Ubisoft’s expectations. The CEO attributed this to several factors. First, he emphasized that the Star Wars franchise experienced a “volatile period” during its launch. He then added that technical glitches negatively impacted sales in the first weeks.
According to Guillemot, the game was patched with various updates within a few weeks of its release, largely addressing performance issues. However, these late-release improvements failed to overcome the negative initial reception. Furthermore, Outlaws’s launch was disappointing, as players expected higher quality from such major franchises.
The Ubisoft CEO also stated that a version of the game developed for future consoles could perform better. It’s believed that the updated version, specifically for Switch 2, will offer a bug-free experience. However, this statement doesn’t appear to change the experience experienced by first-time players.
On the other hand, statements that the Star Wars brand is “going through a rough patch” have been criticized by some fans. This is because older games like Star Wars Battlefront II have seen a resurgence in popularity during this period. This suggests that Outlaws’s low popularity isn’t solely explained by its brand strength; the game’s own inherent shortcomings are also contributing factors.
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