Report: Unannounced Immortals sequel killed by Ubisoft amid larger franchise focus

Ubisoft has reportedly killed an unrevealed sequel to Immortals: Fenyx Rising. According to a new report from VGC, several sources told the outlet that early development on a follow-up was halted earlier in the month before being canceled completely, as company leadership was uncertain about its viability as a property. 

The cancellation of an Immortals sequel is separate from the trio of unannounced projects that were ended in early January. But this makes the fourth Ubisoft project to be canned this year (that we know of), and comes a full year after a quartet of projects were canceled by the developer. 

Immortals: Fenyx Rising released in 2020 from Ubisoft Quebec, and was notably one of the developer's first completely new properties of the decade. As noted by VGC, the game found a "modest" audience, sales wise, thanks to being on sale for so much of the holiday 2020 season. 

Reportedly, further doubt about Immortals as a future tentpole was cast this past February. During that time, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the French developer's 2023-2024 fiscal plans involved focusing on "big brands" and live service titles such as Assassin's Creed, Star Wars, and Avatar.

Ubisoft has struggled to build another big series

Even with the long tail of games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the 2020s have been trying times for Ubisoft. The first Immortals was a decent success when it released three years ago, while Ubisoft's other big new 2020 title, the battle royale Hyper Scape, shut down mid-2022. 

By Ubisoft's own admission, both 2022 and 2023 have been "challenging." Last year's Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was said to have underperformed, and Guillemot admitted that it may have been wise to save the strategy game for the eventual Nintendo Switch successor.

While the developer has released several titles in 2023, its pair of premium games come towards year's end: Assassin's Creed Mirage releases in October, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in December. Its other big games have been either kicked to 2024 (like Skull & Bones) or currently lack a hard date. 

For a company that prides itself on long-term franchise retention, and for a game that seemed like it wanted to court the Breath of the Wild crowd, Immortals being a one-and-done is another hit to Ubisoft. 

Game Developer has reached out to Ubisoft regarding the alleged cancellation of the Immortals sequel, and will update when a response is given. 

Update: In a statement released to VGC, Ubisoft stated that it's been "reallocating some creative teams and resources within the [Immortals Fenyx Rising] Quebec studio."

Those moved teams and resources will go to other unannounced projects, stating the team's developments and technologies will "serve as an accelerator for the development of these key projects focused on our biggest brands.