Ubisoft, a gaming company based in France, is having a tough year. Their Star Wars game underperformed, their stock is down and this week they announced some major setbacks to their planned release schedule, pushing back a major game until next year.

 A financial update from Ubisoft announced a number of significant changes at the company including the delay of premiere title Assassin's Creed Shadows. This came alongside word that Star Wars Outlaws had a "softer than expected launch" and a November 21 release date for Steam.

"Despite solid ratings (Metacritic 76) and user scores across the First Party and Epic stores (3.9/5) that reflect an immersive and authentic Star Wars universe, Star Wars Outlaws initial sales proved softer than expected," Ubisoft said.

The update from Ubisoft ended with a slightly cryptic response from the company's CEO Yves Guillemot to what is probably the company's main problem.

Finally, let me address some of the polarized comments around Ubisoft lately. I want to reaffirm that we are an entertainment-first company, creating games for the broadest possible audience, and our goal is not to push any specific agenda. We remain committed to creating games for fans and players that everyone can enjoy.”

What is that about? If you guessed a backlash to the company's woke agenda you are correct. But the CEO's denial isn't ringing true as there is lots of evidence that Ubisoft has been pushing an agenda which can be found on the company's own website.

Ubisoft’s website makes it very clear it does have a specific agenda. On the company’s Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility page, a statement from Raashi Sikka, Ubisoft’s Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion says, “For Ubisoft, putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do means providing an environment where employees can thrive, building open-minded communities where players can connect, and creating games that reflect the diversity of the world we live in.”...

It also asserts, “We will create gaming experiences that push representation forward by embedding diversity and inclusion across our processes, increasing representation in our teams, and offering access to resources that help teams to build more authentic inclusive, and accessible gaming experiences.”...

In 2023, the company also made it clear it had a “focus on queer representation in games.”

It stated, “As the Inclusive Games and Content Team works to accompany production teams, helping them identify opportunities to tell inclusive stories at the beginning stages of production, they are reflecting in particular on how to provide frameworks and best practices for authentic queer representation.”

In addition to the general attempt to insert DEI messaging, Ubisoft also hired far-left writers.

Fears of an overly politicized game amplified when players learned the writing team for “Outlaws” was made of leftist activists including Nikki Foy and Youssef Maguid. Before she put her social media under lock and key, Foy was known for trashing white people and promoting LGBT ideology in gaming. Maguid’s X account hosts a plethora of anti-Israel posts alongside terrorist apologia.

All of that probably explains why Ubisoft's now-delayed Assassins Creed game, which is based in feudal Japan, features a black Samurai and a female ninja as main characters. Ubisoft admitted that was a case of creative license and asked Japanese gamers to accept it as such.

The Assassin's Creed Shadows team has a message for our Japanese community. pic.twitter.com/AIyWNU9YhG

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) July 23, 2024

Meanwhile, the company's stock is down to new lows and some stockholders are pushing for a sale.

Shares in French games maker Ubisoft plunged more than 17 per cent on Thursday morning after the company cut its financial outlook and delayed the release of its latest Assassin’s Creed video game...

It comes as Ubisoft faces pressure from activist shareholder AJ Investments. According to a letter from the investor seen by the Financial Times, AJ Investments has gathered support from 10 per cent of the French video game publisher’s shareholders to push for a sale and was discussing the idea with private equity groups. The letter was first reported by Reuters. AJ Investments declined to comment further...

Shares in the Paris-listed group have dropped more than 58 per cent this year, giving it a market value of €1.23bn, a more than 10-year low.

In this case, part of the decline is due to the woke agenda Ubisoft has been eager to make part of their games, but critics also point to buggy games with repetitive mechanics and safe, predictable stories. Ubisoft's Board has now launched an internal investigation into their problems as a company. 

The investor update also saw Ubisoft reveal that it has initiated an investigation of its internal practices and how they relate to its current struggles. "The Executive Committee, under the supervision of the Board of Directors, is launching a review aimed at further improving our execution, notably in this player-centric approach, and accelerating our strategic path towards a higher performing model," the announcement reads, adding that all of this is ultimately meant to be to the shareholders' benefit.

I have no idea what that investigation will determine, but I have a pretty good idea where they could start to course correct. Cut back on the DEI and focus more on making the games fun for players.