Ubisoft believes remakes can be more profitable than new releases, after Black Flag Resynced exceeds expectations

Q: What reasons did Ubisoft's CFO give for remakes delivering superior financial performance?

Ubisoft CFO Frederic Duguet said remakes can deliver superior financial performance because they reuse existing assets, require less marketing spend since the audience already knows the game, and tend to sell reliably from day one driven by nostalgia. He summarized this by saying, "We expect this one to deliver superior financial performance."

Q: Which Assassin's Creed remakes are reported to be in development following Black Flag Resynced?

Ubisoft is reported to have a second Assassin's Creed remake in development, with reports specifically pointing to an Assassin's Creed 1 remake as the likely next candidate.

Q: How might remakes affect Ubisoft's marketing spend and use of existing assets compared to new releases?

According to Ubisoft's CFO, remakes can reuse existing assets and require less marketing spend because the audience already knows the game. This reuse of assets and reduced marketing needs are cited as reasons remakes may deliver superior financial performance compared to new releases.

Q: What risks did the article highlight about Ubisoft relying more heavily on remakes?

The article warned that once the "easy picks" run out, not every back-catalogue entry carries the same nostalgia or value, so future remakes may not perform as well. It also cautioned that leaning too heavily on remakes could make Ubisoft look like it is coasting on nostalgia instead of investing in new ideas, making the long-term wisdom of the strategy uncertain.

Ubisoft's CFO says Black Flag Resynced could outperform new titles financially, with more Assassin's Creed remakes already reportedly in the works.

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Hassam Nasir

Tech Reporter

Published Jul 24, 2026 3:30 PM CDT

2-minute read time

TL;DR: Ubisoft's CFO says Black Flag Resynced delivered stronger-than-expected financial returns, selling 3.5 million copies in 14 days and scoring highly, prompting the publisher to consider more remakes-cheaper, lower-marketing risk projects-while noting limits if nostalgic hits run out or creativity is neglected.

Voice: Hassam NasirSpeed

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It is well-known that Ubisoft has been struggling recently, and a big portion of its struggle seems to be centered around identity. However, Ubisoft appears to have found a formula it likes a lot more than expected. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced beat the publisher's full-year sales target in just two weeks, and that performance is apparently nudging Ubisoft to rethink its stance on remakes versus brand new games.

On Ubisoft's Q1 FY2027 earnings call, CFO Frederic Duguet was asked about the profit margins on a game like Black Flag Resynced. His response was blunt:

"We expect this one to deliver superior financial performance."

According to Duguet, remakes carry an inherent advantage because they reuse existing assets, need less marketing spend since the audience already knows the game, and tend to sell reliably from day one on nostalgia alone. Therefore, it is entirely possible that Ubisoft may lean more heavily towards remakes going forward, even over new releases.

Duguet isn't wrong, and the numbers back that up so far. Black Flag Resynced sold 3.5 million copies in 14 days, more than Ubisoft expected to move across the entire year. It's also being called the highest-rated Assassin's Creed game since the original 2013 release, landing an OpenCritic score of 84, just one point behind the original and ahead of Assassin's Creed Shadows' 81.

Ubisoft believes remakes can be more profitable than new releases, after Black Flag Resynced exceeds expectations 1

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That success doesn't seem to be a fluke either. Ubisoft already has a second Assassin's Creed remake in development, and reports point toward an Assassin's Creed 1 remake as the likely next candidate. This also aligns with comments Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot made last year about wanting Assassin's Creed to release more regularly by mixing new mainline entries with remakes of older games.

Ubisoft believes remakes can be more profitable than new releases, after Black Flag Resynced exceeds expectations 3

While it may seem like Ubisoft struck gold unexpectedly, there seems to be a real logic to the plan. Ubisoft has been under financial pressure for a while now, and a cheaper project with a built-in audience is an easier bet than another expensive open-world release. Fans clearly want to replay their favorites with modern mechanics attached.

Ubisoft believes remakes can be more profitable than new releases, after Black Flag Resynced exceeds expectations 2

The risk with remakes is what happens once the easy picks run out. AC4 Black Flag was a beloved, well-remembered game, which is a big part of why this worked so well. Not every entry in Ubisoft's back catalog carries that same weight, and leaning on remakes too heavily could start to look like Ubisoft is coasting on nostalgia instead of investing in new ideas.

Ubisoft believes remakes can be more profitable than new releases, after Black Flag Resynced exceeds expectations 4

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Question #1

What reasons did Ubisoft's CFO give for remakes delivering superior financial performance?

Question #2

Which Assassin's Creed remakes are reported to be in development following Black Flag Resynced?

Question #3

How might remakes affect Ubisoft's marketing spend and use of existing assets compared to new releases?

Question #4

What risks did the article highlight about Ubisoft relying more heavily on remakes?

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It is hard to predict whether this becomes a smart long-term strategy or just an easy cash-grab, and it probably depends on which games Ubisoft decides to remake next, as well as how much new content it's willing to build into them.