Ubisoft shares fall after lackluster launch of 'Star Wars: Outlaws'

Investing.com -- Shares of French video game developer Ubisoft (EPA:UBIP ) were down on Thursday, after underwhelming sales of Star Wars: Outlaws, which launched on August 30.

At 7:40 am (1140 GMT), Ubisoft was trading 6.1% lower at €13.82.

Despite receiving decent reviews with a Metascore of 76, the game's performance fell short of expectations. 

It has been plagued by technical issues, with players reporting bugs and unstable gameplay, likely affecting its sales. 

As per media reports, Ubisoft's creative director Julian Gerighty has indicated that a patch is in development to address issues with certain missions, based on data showing they are not functioning as expected. Gerighty suggested the update could be released in approximately ten days, potentially around September 17.

Additionally, Ubisoft's free-to-play shooter XDefiant, which debuted on May 21, is seeing a steady decline after an initially strong launch. Viewer engagement on platforms like Twitch has plummeted from over 200,000 at launch to just around 2,500. 

The game has faced criticism for technical issues and negative player reviews, contributing to its drop in popularity. 

Ubisoft also faced disappointment with the February 13 release of its pirate-themed adventure Skull & Bones, which met with lackluster reception, unsurprising to many in the Reddit gaming community.

Source: Investing.com