Update: Ubisoft has provided a statement to reinforce that it isn't pulling back on AAA projects. It can be found in full at the bottom of this piece.

Original Article: That isn't to say that we won't be seeing anymore Assassin's Creed titles or Far Cry games (Far Cry 6 is coming this year) but during its latest financial earnings call Ubisoft outlined its new strategy. With chief financial officer Frederick Duguet noting, "We are moving on from our prior comment regarding releasing 3-4 premium AAAs per year."

Adding, "We are building high-end free-to-play games to be trending towards AAA ambitions over the long-term." Which can be seen with the recent announcement of standalone free-to-play spin-off The Division: Heartland.

It's not all doom and free-to-play gloom, as Assassin's Creed: Valhalla broke sales records for the franchise -- with Frederick Duguet confirming that premium titles will still come from the publisher. On the Valhalla front there are plans to continue post-launch support for quite some time. That said outside of Far Cry 6 there apparently aren't any new AAA-style games coming from Ubisoft in the second half of this year.

This shift arrives after last year's release of Hyper Scape and Roller Champions, with the plan being to bring the publisher's biggest franchises into this new model. Rainbow Six, Assassin’s Creed, The Division, Far Cry, Just Dance, Ghost Recon and Watch Dogs.

"We think it is now the time to come with high quality free-to-play games across all our biggest franchises across all platforms," Duguet says. "But of course it will take time before proving it in a more assertive way. That’s why we want to be cautious in year one. If we are successful, that can have a very meaningful impact on the value creation of Ubisoft."

Source.

Update: Ubisoft has provided the following statement to clarify the its intentions, and to re-assure us and fans that there are no plans to reduce its AAA offering. But instead, highlight that there will simply me more investment in free-to-play experiences.

"Our intention is to deliver a diverse line-up of games that players will love - across all platforms. We are excited to be investing more in free-to-play experiences, however we want to clarify that this does not mean reducing our AAA offering. Our aim is to continue to deliver premium experiences to players such as Far Cry 6, Rainbow Six Quarantine, Riders Republic and Skull and Bones to name a few while also expanding our Free to Play portfolio and strengthening our brands to reach even more players."