Ubisoft is offering Immortals Fenyx Rising for free on PC as part of its Black Friday promo. On the surface, a free game sounds great, right? But let's dig a little deeper, shall we?
The timing is… interesting. This freebie coincides with Ubisoft delaying its earnings report and requesting a trading freeze. Shares took an 8% hit after the announcement. It's almost as if they're trying to distract from something. A classic magician's misdirection, perhaps? "Look over here at the shiny free game, don't look at the books!" The CFO's email to staff, saying they couldn't explain the delay "due to legal regulations," only adds fuel to the fire. What exactly are they hiding? I've looked at hundreds of these filings, and that particular phrase is unusual.
And then, just hours after the delay, they are advertising Black Friday deals "up to 90% off." Are these discounts a genuine boon for gamers, or a fire sale to raise capital quickly? Are they trying to show strength while simultaneously bleeding value? What does this say about their financial health?
Earlier this year, Ubisoft announced a spin-off of its top titles into a new subsidiary, with Tencent taking a 25% minority stake for $1.25 billion. On the one hand, that's a significant cash infusion. On the other, it's a surrender of some control to a Chinese gaming giant. Is this a strategic partnership or a sign that Ubisoft is struggling to compete independently? And is this why they have delayed the earnings report?
Consider this: rival EA is going private in a $55 billion deal, backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. That's a very different trajectory. EA is being acquired; Ubisoft is selling off pieces. What does that tell us about the perceived long-term value of each company?
Immortals Fenyx Rising received generally good reviews when it launched in 2020 (Metascore between 76-81). But a three-year-old game being given away for free raises a few red flags. Is the game underperforming? Is it a way to boost Ubisoft Connect numbers? Or is it simply a loss leader to get people into their ecosystem, hoping they'll spend money on other games? (The other games that are up to 90% off?) Ubisoft's Immortals Fenyx Rising is free in Black Friday 2025 deal
Ubisoft Connect boasts cross-play, cross-progression, and cross-platform achievements. In theory, these are great features. But they also lock players into the Ubisoft ecosystem. Is the "free" game a gateway drug to more spending? Is this move less about generosity and more about user acquisition? And what are the long-term implications for gamers?
Ubisoft's Black Friday "gift" looks less like generosity and more like a carefully calculated move to mask deeper financial issues. The earnings delay, the trading freeze, the fire sale discounts—it all adds up to a company under pressure. The free game is just a shiny object to distract from the underlying problems. Buyer beware.
