Far Cry 5’s Launch Was Ubisoft’s Second-Most Successful Launch Ever
When Far Cry 5 released back at the end of March, its success was immediate. Despite releasing in the final days of the month, Far Cry 5 became March’s top-selling game, and continued to dominate the video game market through into April, until it was eventually displaced by God of War. Now, information released during Ubisoft’s end-of-year financial report has revealed that Far Cry 5’s launch week was actually Ubisoft’s second-most successful launch week ever.
Far Cry 5 made over $310 million in its first week, despite strong competition from titles like Monster Hunter World. The launch was more successful than those of both Ghost Recon: Wildlands and Assassin’s Creed Origins. In fact, the only Ubisoft game to have ever exceeded Far Cry’s $310 million figure was The Division; that game made over $330 million in its first week when it released back in 2016.
Origins, in particular, was cited by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot during the company’s annual financial review as one of the year’s strongest-performing titles alongside Far Cry. Those two titles helped to make the 2017-18 financial year a record-breaking one for Ubisoft; the company exceeded its projected profits by a notable amount. Far Cry 5 broke records for its own franchise as well, claiming the strongest launch of any Far Cry title. In digital sales, the game outsold its predecessor, Far Cry Primal, by over 500%.
The Future of Far Cry 5
Now that the game has sold so well, Ubisoft is likely now focused on its post-launch content. With so many players out there who own Far Cry 5, the market for DLC has potential to be very lucrative indeed for the French company. As of yet, Ubisoft has not announced release dates for the three planned expansions. Recently, an Amazon leak suggested that the first, “Hours of Darkness”, might release in the first week of June. When “Lost on Mars” and “Living Dead Zombies” might follow, however, is still unknown. The only confirmed date so far is the 29th of March; the day that Far Cry 3’s Classic Edition will release.