I remember reading Ubisoft's third-quarter fiscal report in early 2024 and feeling that strange mix of hope and skepticism. The publisher had spent years teasing certain games, and the report finally put some dates, or at least windows, on the table. Back then, I was mostly worried about whether the studio could deliver. Now that I am sitting in 2026, I can look back at that roadmap with clearer eyes.

The first thing Ubisoft pointed to was the short term. The fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, which ran from January to March 2024, was supposed to include the launch of Skull and Bones. That pirate game had become something of a ghost. I had seen it delayed so many times that part of me doubted it would ever leave port. The report said it was imminent. Next to it was XDefiant, a free-to-play shooter that looked like Ubisoft's answer to Call of Duty. That one felt like a different kind of gamble. It was not a massive premium title. It was a live-service swing aimed at a crowded market. 🎮

Then the report moved into the next fiscal year. Ubisoft committed to launching Star Wars Outlaws in 2024. That was a big promise. The game had all the right ingredients: an open-world scoundrel fantasy, a galaxy full of danger, and the Star Wars name. According to that old report, it would arrive somewhere between the beginning of April and the end of December 2024. I remember thinking that was a wide window, but at least it was a window.

The game that really grabbed me, though, was Assassin's Creed Codename Red. The report placed it in the 2025 financial year, which ended in March 2025. But the wording made me believe Ubisoft was targeting an October or November 2024 launch. It was described as being 'set in the long-awaited feudal Japan universe.' As someone who had wanted a mainline Assassin's Creed game in Japan for more than a decade, I circled that part of the report. Finally. 🏯

i-remember-ubisoft-s-ambitious-2024-roadmap-from-my-2026-perspective-image-0

Ubisoft also mentioned two free-to-play mobile projects for the same fiscal year. The Division Resurgence and Rainbow Six Mobile were both on the list. The company said to expect more in May. That was not much to go on, but it told me Ubisoft was still trying to push its biggest franchises beyond consoles and PC. In 2026, I can tell you that mobile promises like those often move slowly, but at the time they were part of a larger plan.

One thing I found striking was what Ubisoft did not say. The report did not disclose specific sales figures for Assassin's Creed Mirage, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, The Crew Motorfest, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. That last one had only just launched in January 2024. I wanted numbers. Instead, Ubisoft said Rainbow Six Siege was doing particularly well. The Assassin's Creed brand, as a whole, saw 'overperformance.' That phrase stuck with me. It suggested the series still had serious pull, even without a new mainline entry in the traditional yearly rhythm.

Here is how I mapped the roadmap at the time:

Release window Game My gamer reaction
Q4 FY24 (January–March 2024) Skull and Bones Finally, but I was cautious 🏴‍☠️
Q4 FY24 (January–March 2024) XDefiant Curious about the free-to-play shooter
FY25 (April–December 2024) Star Wars Outlaws Cautiously optimistic
FY25 (likely October/November 2024) Assassin's Creed Codename Red Extremely excited for feudal Japan 🎯
FY25 The Division Resurgence, Rainbow Six Mobile Interested, but mobile is unpredictable

Looking back from 2026, that roadmap was ambitious. Some things landed. Some things slipped. Some things changed names or direction. But in early 2024, it felt like Ubisoft was drawing a line in the sand. The company was telling us it had a plan, and I was ready to see whether that plan would survive contact with reality.