Ubisoft surprised everyone by postponing the release of its half-year results and requesting a suspension of its trading on the Paris Stock Exchange. The publisher has offered no public explanation, but this setback comes at a time when the company is already in a very fragile position: its stock has lost nearly half its value since January.
A sudden suspension that raises questions
In a press release, the company announced that it had requested Euronext to suspend trading of its shares and bonds from November 14th until the publication of its results, expected in the coming days. Internally, management refers only to an "additional delay" necessary to finalize the accounts and states that it wants to avoid speculation during this period. This wording is considered unusual enough to fuel all sorts of speculation surrounding a major announcement to come.
In recent years, Ubisoft has suffered a series of setbacks. Several major titles have underperformed, and some projects were quickly abandoned, such as its online shooter, which was shut down shortly after its launch. Since 2023, the company has been undergoing a cost-cutting program that has resulted in over 2,000 job losses and the closure of studios abroad. The restructuring initiated in 2024 continues: teams are now consolidated around three core franchises (Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six), while voluntary redundancy plans were recently announced in Sweden, particularly within the studios involved in the development of Star Wars Outlaws.
Between painful reorganization, forced cost-cutting measures, and a series of mixed releases, the group is entering a pivotal period. The suspension of trading, rare in this sector, reinforces the impression of a publisher at a crossroads, closely scrutinized by investors and the entire video game industry.
