Ubisoft has created many renowned video game franchises over the years — Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Prince of Persia, Just Dance, and anything Tom Clancy-related. For a third-party studio, they have an impressive track record. They also had the opportunity to work on games featuring well-known entertainment properties — the Mario + Rabbids series, and more recently Star Wars Outlaws and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Recently, they jumped into Film & Television with Mythic Quest, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix series, and have many other projects based on their games in the works.

For a company responsible for so many big hits, it’s strange that anytime I hear about Ubisoft in the news, it’s almost exclusively something negative about the company. In recent years we’ve seen problems with office culture, sexual misconduct, mass layoffs, and now a full restructuring with the cancellation of multiple upcoming games. One of the most controversial cancellations in the group was the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Remake, which we’ve been waiting on for over five years.

Most of these news headlines cover bad decisions made by executives at the company (or the Guillemot family). Within Ubisoft there are so many teams full of talented game developers making these games we love. People who are not a part of these terrible decisions, but have to deal with the consequences.

My Recent Ubi Games

I’m not here to dwell on the negative though. I want to focus on some of the good. I’ve played a couple of Ubisoft games in recent years that I have really enjoyed.

The Mario + Rabbids games (Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle & Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope) were a big deal because it was the first time I can think of where Nintendo loaned out their biggest stars, Mario and friends, to another studio. It’s because of this franchise that I got into more tactical turn-based RPGs. After the release of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, creative director Davide Soliani has moved on and co-created his own studio Day 4 Night, where they are working on Bradley the Badger.

When the first Assassin’s Creed game came out I was obsessed, and I picked up and played every entry until a certain point. After a long break from the series I got into Assassin’s Creed Shadows last year. Yes, it’s more Assassin’s Creed, but an Assassin’s Creed game set in Feudal Japan is something fans have been asking for.

Star Wars Outlaws did something cool and new. Instead of throwing you a lightsaber and “the Force,” like the Star Wars Jedi games from Respawn, you got to play as a lowly outlaw who’s just trying to survive in this shady galaxy, Kay Vess. Using “The Force” in any game always feels amazing, but it’s nice to see a different side of a Star Wars game.

I’m also currently playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora — more on that in a later post.

What Ubi is Doing Right

There is one thing that Ubisoft is doing right, and no one is talking about it — not even Ubisoft. I sort of stumbled upon Ubisoft Connect and their cross-progression feature on my own. Crossplay has really become more prominent ever since the Nintendo Switch 2 release.

We are now seeing more current-gen (PS5 and Xbox Series) titles coming to the Nintendo Switch 2. Games that the original Nintendo Switch just couldn’t handle. Even the big sports games (Madden, EA Sports FC, WWE 2K) are releasing full versions on the Nintendo Switch 2. I currently have three Ubisoft games loaded on my PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Star Wars Outlaws, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Sure, the PlayStation 5 is a better place to play these technically advanced games, but I like the added benefit of being able to easily take my progression on the go. I own a PS Portal, but I would need high-speed wifi to stream games from home — I haven’t messed with the cloud-streaming feature yet.

When traveling it’s much easier to take one handheld, instead of lugging around two of them. My PS Portal is mostly reserved for the couch or bedtime gaming.

What Ubi Should Be Doing (Opinion)

Ubisoft has been known to push aside games that don’t meet their unreasonable expectations. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown sold well and was loved by many, but they still disbanded the team. Maybe they should have given them a chance to work on something original in the same vein.

What might help is if Ubisoft mentioned Ubisoft Connect with Crossplay more. It should be included in their game trailers. They could even release a video showing how it all works. This feature should have been all over those Ubisoft Forward presentations, like how Xbox mentions Game Pass in every presentation.

They can also stop focusing on having so many digital collector’s editions for each game. You can pay anywhere between $60 and over $100, just for some extra cosmetics. What if they instead sold multi-platform versions of their games?

Imagine if you were buying a Ubisoft game for your PlayStation 5 and they allowed you to add-on the PC, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game for an extra $10 or $20. No one wants to pay full price, twice.

The Ubisoft Connect platform is free-to-use. Why not go the Epic Games Route. I can play Fortnite, Fall Guys, and Rocket League across all platforms using my Epic Games account. Sure , those games are free-to-play, but that’s why Ubisoft can introduce this new pricing model.

Is this the solution to all of their problems? No, but it’s a start.

With this new restructuring plan what happens next for Ubisoft? Will they be bought up by one of the big three? Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (PlayStation), or Nintendo. Will another gaming conglomerate eat them up — like Pac-Man? Nexon, Tencent, NetEase, or one of the Saudis.

I don’t want Ubisoft to disappear, or sell off different franchises to different buyers. I’d like to see them figure this out on their own and come back stronger, maybe get rid of some of the top executives.

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*Disclaimer: I am just expressing my opinions on this matter. I have no inside information. I’m just a game player, writer, and baker. Thanks for reading.