Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rayman Legends Miss Sales Targets

33
Lee Bradley

Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Rayman Legends have fallen short of their sales targets, Ubisoft has revealed.

Both games enjoyed a positive critical reception, but failed to live up to Ubisoft’s expectations in stores, the publisher told investors last night. 

The shortfall has contributed to a reduction in Ubisoft’s revenue expectations for the current financial year, dropping from $1.94 billion to $1.38bn.

"As we have said we have experienced lower sales than we anticipated when we gave our targets," said Ubisoft exec Alain Martinez, pointing to "already released games such as Splinter Cell, Rayman and others."

There is another reason for this drop, of course. Yesterday it was announced that both Watch Dogs and The Crew have been delayed into next year.

Watch Dogs had been slated for a November 2013 release, but will now hit in Spring 2014, while The Crew has slipped from a Q1 2014 to Q2 2014, meaning it’ll hit between July and September next year.

It means that neither title will have an impact on this year's sales figures and that fans will have to wait a little longer before Ubisoft's next-gen push begins in earnest.

[via CVG]

Comments
33
  • I wanted Splinter Cell, but I'm saving for my Xbox One.
  • Watch Ubisoft say that AC: Black Flag and Watch Dogs didn't meet their target sales of $1 billion in one day.
  • Most people rent here in australia because the games are $80-100 a couple months after release. Whoever's in charge needs to drop the price, then companies would see more people buying new
  • @1 I think a lot of people are doing similar things. Blacklist is actually not a bad game - I had quite a lot of fun with it tbh. I did miss Ironside though.
  • really enjoyed rayman, splinter cell wasn't my thing. Its a shame people don't give games like rayman a chance these days, the casual gamer only really cares for graphics
  • I want rayman but will pick it in the xmas sales for under £20, both came out in the shadow of GTAV they never stood a chance.
  • @4 That was another factor in me no getting it, to me Ironside IS Fisher.
  • haven't got round to playing blacklist yet, can't comment for the missus seen as she's the rayman fan out of the 2 of us, but it wouldn't surprise me if both sold really well. i think ubisoft just need to realise they ain't gonna exactly top the cod figures, or more recently gta 5.
  • @7 Not playing the best splinter cell game since chaos theory because his voice is different.. Ok.
  • I think if Rayman & Splinter cell where launch Titles for the Xbone & PS4, They could have sold far more.
  • @3 Most people do not rent. They either pay the exorbitant in store prices, hence why they are still so high, or they buy online where launch prices are up to half the price of stores.
  • Both very good titles, I guess it has something to do with the amount if good games coming, ppl have to choose because they can't afford buying all of them.. And with games like Fifa and Gta in the same realease window I ain't see the big surprise here.though its sad due to the fact that ubisoft did good with both Splinter cell and rayman.
  • I was gonna pick up splintercell on Zavvi, it was 29 euros, but for some reason they put the price back on 46 now...
  • Maybe if they made the game more like Chaos Theory and Double Agent and less like Batman Arkham and Hitman Absolution, they would reach the sales that previous games in the series achieved. I really enjoyed Blacklist but it still can't hold a candle to CT and DA.
  • Why do people always complain about the fact that games are different then that they wanted them to be. I see alot of comments that people didnt like Blacklist because it wasnt as good as Chaos Theory. However, if a company desides to keep it the same, lets say CoD. Also then people complain for the lack of changes. So what do you really want then.? OT: Sad to see this, and hopefully it doesnt have a negative effect within Ubisoft. I really like them as a game developer. Alot of my favorites are Ubi's.
  • That's too bad. Blacklist is top 3 game of the year so far. Its ridiculously good. Haven't got around to Rayman yet but I'm sure it will be solid as well
  • I will admit to being dissapointed with Blacklist... it seemed too linear or something. It felt like a step back from Conviction to me...
  • one reason for this, GTA:V it's unfortunate cause Splinter Cell is an awesome game (haven't played Rayman)
  • i do want rayman but i had just bought collectors editions for saints row 4 and splinter cell blacklist so i didnt have enough money for it however whenever i do get some i shall buy rayman as they are some very good games
  • I plan on getting Rayman Legends, I love the series, but there is just too many other games I'm playing right now. I plan on fitting in some time before X1 comes out to play it though.
  • That is shame. Rayman Legends is best Rayman series ever made and SC Blacklist became 4th best Splinter Cell series. Now I begin guess Ubisoft maybe decide hold Rayman and Splinter Cell series for many years until they returns because Legends and Blacklist sold failed. I hope they bring them back in 2 to 3 years time but I don't think because of sales failed to meet so which mean they possible returns between 5 to 10 years time.
  • It is hard to know weither if both returns future. I really want them returns again. I remember Rayman 3 sales failed then Ubisoft leave Rayman console game for long time until Origins released. So I think it is same story now.
  • That's a shame, I thought Blacklist was great. The MP wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be, but I still enjoyed myself throughout.
  • The problem lies with the AAA blockbuster game model. The big studios (ubisoft, square, capcom, etc) want to make a profit and with the amount of money put into making the games, they have unrealistic (hopeful at best) sales figures. We are very close to the tipping point where certain games & franchises are going to be put to rest because they won't be deemed profitable . I'm not trying to sound over pessimistic and I would love to be proved wrong, but I see the next few years having a definitive line between "AAA" games & everything else. It's not to say there won't be great games made by smaller developers and indie games, I just see the big studios/publishers taking less risks & focusing on their cash cows.
  • No Ironside, no Splinter Cell. Simple as that.
  • Loved Blacklist but even so I played it alot, got my fill and sold it on pretty shortly. I can see how they spent a lot of money on it, because they designed and shipped and absolutely MASSIVE amount of game. 12 main SP missions. 16 Optional side missions (14 on regular edition). and 6 MP maps. ...and y'know how people complain that MP maps are usually just straight rips or 'heavily inspired' by the SP? The six on Blacklist were complete original. Do they receive any praise? Pffft. They went for breadth and threw Splinter Cell into a few new areas, some of which didn't work too well (Charlie missions AKA Horde mode, the non-Classic MP modes) but the side missions were of surprisingly high quality (apart from that Abandoned City bug) and the campaign had great moments...if you were willing to stay the course and deal with your fuckups instead of pausing and immediately restarting the checkpoint like a thrill hating chickenshit /mini-rant Ambivalent on New Sam, same as I was on Old Sam. Charlie, Kobin and Sadiq bought the good in the campaign. Sam/Briggs dynamic was good at points (London missions) but was undersold on the whole. Fantastic score, fits the mood, changes to fit the dynamic if you get spied, flows rather well (Not those post-mission scorecards though). Can pick out the footsteps of enemies on headphones and feel how close they are. Adds to the tension with the hearing but not seeing. So yeah, great allround, has a decent amount of replay value and reasons to dick around with other methods of play. Why was it so easy to put down? Probably because it was too easy and the ridiculous advantages Spies have over Mercs outside of Classic mode made them not worth the frustration. Third best game I've played this year, following GTA V and The Last Of Us. Err, thanks for reading?
  • I am pretty sure that them free downloads of Rayman have not helped
  • I'm sick of these companies setting unrealistic goals, and getting pissy when they don't meet them. Blacklist was GOTY for me (before GTA5 of course), and they should be PROUD of the game they made. It's not like it lost them money. I'm sick of hearing this shit for damn near every title UbiCry put out. It's like setting out for an evening, expecting to shag a chick that's a 10, and "only" ending up with a solid 8. Boo-friggen-hoo.
  • This trend will continue as more and more ppl buy and resell games. Also game rental services are putting big dent in sales expectations. At some point we will only see digital games and it will be easier to estimate good revenue, but as it is a lot of ppl buy game and resel a week later and publisher doesn't see a dime. That's why I'm scared a lot of IP's will die out over years to come. It's no because they're bad, but hardly anyone buys and collects games, like I do...
  • Splinter Cell has been out LESS THAN TWO MONTHS. This is the problem with these publishers. They expect the game to sell out the ass in less than 60 days. Give it some freaking time! How a game can be considered a failure after 2 months is beyond me.
  • Haven't played a Splinter Cell game since Chaos Theory. Tried the demos and wasn't impressed. Not sure how much has changed this time around but that is probably the same reason Hitman "failed". Too much changed with the core mechanic. Left the fans wanting the old Hitman back. Tomb Raider also "failed" in their eyes, again, probably because they changed too much about the game. Either that, or the market is becoming oversaturated with games. GTA V has wide appeal to all walks of life, therefore, will be "successful" in Ubisoft's eyes. I also see the Assassin's Creed fanbase waning. They really need to concentrate on one or two hits to make them wildly appealing and let other companies take the other games that won't influence too much what the dev's want to do with the game.
  • This isn't news. This is just further bullshit proof that publishers view games more as a source of income than a means of storytelling. Nothing to see here. Move along, Move along.
  • Blacklist is immense and still playing it, 92% come on why have not got it already!
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