Ubisoft recently held its annual shareholders meeting, during which CEO Yves Guillemot addressed questions regarding the company’s successes and setbacks. One particularly surprising point was the underwhelming performance of Star Wars Outlaws, a game that had garnered praise yet failed to meet sales expectations.

Guillemot responded to a shareholder’s inquiry about potential marketing failures by confirming, “We didn’t reach our sales targets.” He elaborated that the brand itself was experiencing a rough patch at the time of the game’s launch:

“The game suffered from a number of issues. It was launched when the brand it was associated with was in a bit of choppy waters.”

This statement underscores how saturation and perhaps fatigue surrounding the Star Wars franchise could have impacted the game’s market reception.

Despite substantial post-launch support, the game struggled to attract the desired audience. Guillemot acknowledged that Star Wars Outlaws wasn’t flawless at release, indicating that there were elements needing refinement, which may have deterred some potential buyers initially. He hinted that future improvements are planned, particularly for its release on upcoming consoles such as the rumored Switch 2.

This incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictability in gaming, especially when major franchises face popularity challenges amidst rising competition.