UPDATE: Ubisoft has issued a statement on the cancellation of Immortals Fenyx Rising 2.
“As part of our global strategy, we are redirecting and reallocating some creative teams and resources within the Quebec studio to other unannounced projects," Ubisoft said in a statement issued to IGN. "The expertise and technologies these teams developed will serve as an accelerator for the development of these key projects focused on our biggest brands. We have nothing further to share at this time.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Ubisoft has reportedly canceled its plans for a sequel to Immortals Fenyx Rising. This decision was made earlier this month by Ubisoft’s leadership due to difficulties establishing it as an IP.
According to VGC, the sequel was reportedly in development at Ubisoft Quebec, the same studio in charge of the first game. While Immortals Fenyx Rising received positive reviews, it reportedly only sold a moderate amount of copies. Many of the units sold apparently came from heavy discounting during sales. Additionally, its European sales were reportedly 70% lower than Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s during a similar period.
Ubisoft has recently pivoted to focus on its most prominent franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, so it might be unsurprising that a planned Immortals Fenyx Rising sequel was canceled. After all, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is launching later this year, and Ubisoft is reportedly working on a remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.
In January, Ubisoft also revealed that it had canceled three other unannounced games, and VGC reports that this sequel isn't one of them. Another game, Skull and Bones, has suffered delay after delay since its initial reveal in 2017. However, it’s finally getting a closed beta next month and will be released during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
Immortals Fenyx Rising first launched in December 2020. In IGN’s Immortals Fenyx Rising review, we said, “Immortals Fenyx Rising gives us a gorgeous world to explore, filled with mythological beasts, deities, and powers to wield. Its combat is satisfying, with plenty of choice in upgrades, while its central characters, comedic tone, and storytelling are a real highlight."
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He's been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
