Ubisoft is gearing up for the global launch of Rainbow Six Mobile. The company has high hopes for the title, developed by Ubisoft Montreal, which is expected to strengthen its position in the mobile market.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot shared some initial numbers about Rainbow Six Mobile’s soft launch on LinkedIn (thanks, PocketGamer.biz). The game is currently only available in Canada and Mexico, with more countries expected during the new phases.
Calling it “Ubisoft’s first AAA mobile game,” Guillemot announced that Rainbow Six Mobile has already reached more than 17 million pre-registrations on Android alone.
Ubisoft announced Rainbow Six Mobile in April 2022. The development is led by a dedicated team at Ubisoft Montreal, with additional support from studios in Winnipeg, Bucharest, Kyiv, Shanghai, and more. The main mode in the game is 5v5 PvP matches, but they are shorter (around 8-12 minutes) compared to Rainbow Six Siege.
Although FPS is one of the most popular and lucrative mobile genres, Ubisoft could face some trouble trying to compete with market giants like Call of Duty: Mobile (over $3 billion in lifetime revenue) and PUBG Mobile (over $10 billion in revenue).
How does Ubisoft plan to expand into mobile gaming?
- In its report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, Ubisoft said it will continue to invest in its highest-grossing franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Rainbow Six. Although the company has no plans to stop making premium AAA titles, it also wants to focus on free-to-play.
- “While mastering free-to-play is hard, and it is very important to remain prudent, recent developments are encouraging,” Guillemot said at the time, adding that the company is building the “next steps toward ultimately delivering a breakthrough in this major market.”
- Ubisoft currently has several free-to-play games in its pipeline, including Rainbow Six Mobile, XDefiant and The Division Resurgence. And it is betting big on them.
- XDefiant is a live service shooter featuring characters from different Ubisoft games; its closed beta reached over 1 million players. And Resurgence is a mobile spin-off of The Division franchise that will be published in partnership with Tencent’s Western subsidiary Level Infinite.
- On top of that, the company is working on Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade, a mobile game that will also be published by Level Infinite. Ubisoft called it “one of the biggest publishing deals ever signed in the industry.”
- Despite strong pre-registration numbers for Rainbow Six Mobile, Ubisoft has yet to prove its viability in the mobile market, as it currently lacks major hits there.
- According to AppMagic, the company has generated $395.8 million across its mobile portfolio to date.
- Its biggest title by revenue is Hungry Shark World with $52.2 million generated from in-app purchases. It is followed by Growtopia ($51.7 million), Hungry Shark Evolution ($50.8 million), South Park: Phone Destroyer ($40.3 million), and Might & Magic: Era of Chaos ($38.7 million).
Top 10 Ubisoft mobile games by IAP revenue, according to AppMagic
- All these games are relatively old, so it is interesting to see whether Ubisoft will be able to gain a foothold in the mobile market with its new titles.