The best Ubisoft game franchises ignored by the company

today, Ubisoft has been making headlines for earnings reporting delays and stock trading halts, which could be a sign of major upheaval (but nothing has been confirmed yet, so let's keep speculation to a minimum). Over the past few years, few publishers have worked harder to clean up their public reputations than Ubisoft. Despite releasing great games like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. At this point, most people have decided whether or not they will enjoy the Ubisoft formula. Assassin's Creed and Far Cry series. Those IPs don't release new games as often now as they did in the 2010s, but they've reached a breaking point where the prospect of new games isn't as exciting as it used to be.

The problem is that there are too many A great Ubisoft franchise rotting away We are waiting for revival. It's a series with a well-known and relatively established fan base that loves receiving new entries, and it would have helped diversify Ubisoft's recent portfolio. The future of all Ubisoft IP is currently unclear, but some franchises have seemed dead for years.

If a franchise has received a game in the past five years or has a new entry announced in 2025 (titles and all), it will not be considered. prince of persia and Heroes of Might and Magic This is an example of such a franchise.
I'll list the number of mainline entries and the year the last game was released. Additionally, if Ubisoft picks up an existing franchise, it lists the number of releases before and after the acquisition.
Ubisoft has created many great games over the years. I just wanted to say that.
We are only considering IPs that have multiple games. So, nothing child of light, for honorand Immortal Phoenix Rising.

Rayman (despite Mario + Rabbids DLC)

The biggest Ubisoft franchise that's been dormant for most of a decade

Number of featured Rayman games: 5
Last mainline Rayman game: Rayman Legends (2013)
Last look of any kind: Mario + Rabbids Flame of Hope DLC 3: Rayman of the Phantom Show (2023)
Fun facts: Since the last time it went right rayman Adventures, there were about 10 of them rabbit A game or release.

When people think of underused Ubisoft franchises; rayman This is probably the first thing that comes to mind because the series has been a staple for roughly 20 years. While it never reached the level of exposure of Mario or Sonic, Rayman was right down there as the main mascot synonymous with the entire game. The original trilogy is consistently great, and all three are timeless (but still popular most of the time) platformers. And then somehow I was overtaken. rayman origins And especially, Rayman LegendsThe latter is arguably one of the best games of the 2010s. If we only talk about mainline items, rayman Undoubtedly, it has produced nothing but masterpieces.

In the mid 2000s, raymanUbisoft rabbit Spin-off franchise. Now I will say that these changes have produced gold over the years, especially strange and fantastic gold. Mario + Rabbids crossover game; Unfortunately, this success appears to have come at the expense of Rayman himself. Rayman today feels more like a footnote to the Rabbids' legacy than the other way around.

splinter cell

A genre-defining stealth franchise that hasn't had a game since the PS3 and Xbox 360 era (although a remake was announced for 2026).

Number of mainline Splinter Cell games: 6 (edited version not included)
Last main Splinter Cell game: blacklist (2013)
Last appearance: Splinter Cell: Deathwatch (2025)
Upcoming releases: spinter cell Remake aiming for 2026
Fun facts: With the launch of Open-Critic in 2015, splinter cell The game has yet to receive an average score. in other words, blacklist There is a public critics page.

It's hard to believe these days, considering how things have progressed over the past 10 years. splinter cell We were right there together. metal gear and hitman One of the best stealth franchises. Hell, you could argue that Ubisoft's series were stronger in the early 2000s than their contemporaries. Looking back, this was a golden age for the genre.

Since 2013 blacklistSam Fisher is mostly retired, only appearing in rumors of potential new entries and Netflix-esque side quests that ultimately went nowhere. Splinter Cell: Deathwatch. The series skipped the 8th console generation entirely, and won't debut until at least six years after the 9th generation was released.

driver

Ubisoft has released some of the best driver games, but mostly nothing.

Number of major driver games prior to Ubisoft acquisition: 4
Number of key driver games following Ubisoft acquisition: 4
Last Driver game in all its forms: Driver: Speedboat Paradise (2014)
Fun facts: Driver: San Francisco It was delisted in 2016 and is difficult to obtain these days. If you've never played it and come across a physical copy, buy it. The game is endlessly fun.

In 2006, Driver acquired developer Reflections Interactive. driver. As great as the original PS1 game was, the series lost direction in the mid-2000s when the third installment became infamous for being broken. parallel lines It was an improvement, but not enough to really turn the franchise around. So bringing the franchise under the Ubisoft banner was a positive move both at the time and in retrospect. Driver: San Francisco.

By far the best game in the series, san francisco It spoke hell in a realistic way and instead gave it the power to possess the driver's body and quickly switch between cars. This mechanism is truly amazing and probably even inspiring. watchdog corpsAnd it could and should have been expanded upon with a sequel. speaking about watchdogThe first game reportedly began life as follows: driver The sequel, before its own transformation. Honestly, the series was a good sequel in spirit, but it was still different enough that it didn't scratch the same itch.

In 2024, Ubisoft mentioned a few things. driver Since the project was ongoing, a revival may be planned in due course. There is hope.

Silent Hunter

Ubisoft's Submarine War Sim series lies dormant at the bottom of the sea

Number of Silent Hunter games before Ubisoft acquired: 1
Number of Silent Hunter games since Ubisoft acquisition: 5 (but also has several spin-offs and mobile games)
The last Silent Hunter game: Silent Hunter Online (2013~16)
Fun facts: Silent Hunter 3 The best submarine simulation game ever. Sure, it doesn't have a lot of competition, but it's a perfectly executed concept that's perfect for its time.

Here's a niche series that's been a fixture on Ubisoft's release schedule for some time. Between 2005 and 2010, Ubisoft published three. Silent Hunter It's an impressive game considering the concept was barely mainstream. All was well, but later games received slightly more criticism than their predecessors. Silent Hunter 5 Probably the weakest in the series.

You can still purchase Ubisoft items on PC, so it hasn't been eradicated from history by any stretch of the imagination. but, Silent Hunter may have been a victim of Assassin's Creed and Far Cry Boom of the 2010s. Over the past 15 years, the IP hasn't been a good fit for the types of projects Ubisoft prefers, and new entries may have been deemed not worth the risk.

red steel

The second game was a lot of fun, but Red Steel disappeared with the Nintendo Wii.

Number of Red Steel Games: 2
Last Red Steel game: red steel 2 (2010)
Fun facts: i loved red steel 2 Once upon a time.

Okay, listen to me, yeah red steel It wasn't particularly great to play and is mostly remembered as a mediocre Wii launch title. But the 2010 sequel was so much better in almost every way, to the point where it's a must-play game for anyone who owned (or still owns) a Nintendo console. Neither game was re-released or ported to other systems. red steel The Wii effectively died when it stopped being relevant.

Although it was marketed based on use of the Wii Remote, the controls could also be adapted to a standard gamepad, as the run-and-slash/gun gameplay isn't all that different from the Wii Remote. shadow warrior trilogy. If designed for all major systems, the sequel would have focused on fine-tuning the bombastic and brutal action, creating a fun single-player experience that's a far cry from Ubisoft's other releases over the past 15 years.

Special mention: Core Might And Magic series (not the entire franchise)

Continue to appear in free-to-play mobile games and spin-offs

Number of major Might and Magic games prior to the Ubisoft acquisition: 9
Number of major Might and Magic games following Ubisoft acquisition: 1 (but also has several spin-offs and mobile games)
The last Magic and Might game in all its forms: Might and Magic Fates (2025)
Fun facts: there was Might and Magic It's been released, at least in some form, almost every year since 2018.

great, Might and Magic This is a bit of an odd case, as Ubisoft has kept the franchise fairly active since its acquisition in 2003. Some of the most loved releases in the series include: Might and Magic's Dark MessiahAlthough overseen by the publisher, the company appears to have been reluctant to produce major new items. Just talking about numbers Might and Magic The game, Ubisoft's only release Might and Magic X: LegacyAnd it came out almost a decade after its predecessor.

Ubisoft is excited to celebrate the series' rich legacy and spin-offs, including: Might and Magic: Age of Chaos It is available on mobile platforms for anyone who wants to try it out. But at this point, Might and Magic XI We need to get something new, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Heroes of Might and Magic soon.