This article was originally published on July 25 at 4pm BST.
Ubisoft has cancelled plans for a sequel to 2020’s mythological open-world adventure game Immortals Fenyx Rising.
That’s according to multiple development sources, who told VGC anonymously that a follow-up game was in early development atUbisoft Quebec, but company leadership ultimately decided to cancel it earlier this month due to perceived challenges around establishing the IP.
The original Immortals, which was also developed byAssassin’s Creed Odysseystudio Ubisoft Quebec, receivedgenerally favourable reviews.
Update26th Jul 2023 / 10:35 am
Ubisofthas responded to this story and said it’s “reallocating some creative teams and resources within the Quebec studio”.
“As part of our global strategy, we are redirecting and reallocating some creative teams and resources within the Quebec studio to other unannounced projects.
“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.”
Ubisoft’s intention was to grow Immortals into a franchise, withjournalist Jeff Grubb reporting last yearthat it intended to explore different mythologies other than Greece with future games, such as Hawaiian Polynesian myths.
The original game saw players controlling a forgotten hero on a quest to save the Greek gods. Later, the game’s DLC explored Chinese mythology by having players take control of a new hero, martial artist Ku.
Sources told VGC future plans for Immortals were cast into doubt after the company decided to pivot towards its most prominent brands.
In January, Ubisoft said it hadcancelled three unannounced games(not including the Immortals sequel) and was planning to strengthen its focus on its biggest IPs and live services followingweaker than expected software sales over the holiday season.
This year’s Mirage is one of at leastsix Assassin’s Creed gamesUbisoft currently has in development, for example. And in May, the company announced plans to increase the number of staff working on the seriesby 40% over the coming yearsby reallocating staff from other franchises.
VGC understands Immortals: Fenyx Rising did find a modest audience, but a lot of it came via discounting. And to put it into context, its sales in Europe were around 70% lower than whatAssassin’s Creed Valhallamanaged to achieve over a similar timeframe.
If Ubisoft has decided not to continue with the series, it’s not particularly surprising considering its stated strategy and the game’s modest sales performance.
An Ubisoft spokesperson told VGC the company “does not comment on rumours or speculation”.
