Ubisoft Has Canceled Its Tokyo Game Show Plans at the Last Minute

Key Takeaways

• Ubisoft cancels online presentation at Tokyo Game Show 2024, disappointing fans.
• 2024 had mixed success for Ubisoft games, with some flops and some well-received titles.
• Speculation surrounds Ubisoft’s decision to skip Tokyo Game Show but no official reason has been given.

Ubisoft has confirmed that it will no longer be hosting an online presentation for Tokyo Game Show 2024 as previously planned. Like many other major companies, Ubisoft planned on having a presence at Tokyo Game Show this year, using the big event to showcase its upcoming game releases.

It’s been a busy yet disappointing year for Ubisoft. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown launched in January to rave reviews, while February’s Skull and Bones was a huge disappointment after it finally escaped development hell. Free-to-play FPS XDefiant had a decent start, but its playerbase has dwindled dramatically from its height. Star Wars Outlaws, while receiving mostly positive reviews, has reportedly failed to take off in sales like many would have expected. Ubisoft still has a few more games on deck for 2024, though said games won’t be getting shown off at Tokyo Game Show as previously believed.

Ubisoft was going to host a special presentation at Tokyo Game Show on September 26, but it has since canceled those plans. Ubisoft apologized to fans for canceling the presentation, but did not provide a reason for the decision beyond “various circumstances.” This is unfortunate news for Ubisoft fans, and comes at an awkward time for the publisher.

Ubisoft Won’t Be at Tokyo Game Show 2024

As previously mentioned, Ubisoft’s 2024 games have not all been particularly big successes, with some high-profile flops mixed among well-received games that still weren’t runaway commercial successes. Some investors have demanded leadership change at Ubisoft, going as far as to insist that the company go back to being a private entity.

As far as Ubisoft backing out of Tokyo Game Show goes, it can only be speculated why such a surprising decision was made. Part of it could be due to the Assassin’s Creed Shadows controversy. The game has been criticized by some gamers in Japan for “historical inaccuracies.” Maybe Ubisoft wanted to avoid drumming up that controversy again by showing the game at Tokyo Game Show, but that’s just speculation at this time. Ubisoft’s decision to back out of Tokyo Game Show 2024 could be for reasons completely unrelated to Assassin’s Creed Shadows or any of its future games, but unless the company offers an explanation, all fans can do is speculate.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is certainly the biggest game Ubisoft has left to release in 2024, though it also has the annual Just Dance game as well as a new digital edition of Monopoly on the way. Ubisoft’s 2025 plans have yet to fully take shape, but hopefully the company is able to have a better year than it did in 2024.