Sources: Ubisoft has cancelled its Immortals Fenyx Rising sequel

Ubisoft has cancelled plans for a sequel to 2020’s mythological open-world adventure game Immortals Fenyx Rising.

That’s according to multiple development sources, who told VGC anonymously that a follow-up game was in early development at Ubisoft Quebec, but company leadership ultimately decided to cancel it earlier this month due to perceived challenges around establishing the IP.

The original Immortals, which was also developed by Assassin’s Creed Odyssey studio Ubisoft Quebec, received generally favourable reviews.

Ubisoft’s intention was to grow Immortals into a franchise, with journalist Jeff Grubb reporting last year that it intended to explore different mythologies other than Greece with future games, such as Hawaiian Polynesian myths.

The original game saw players controlling a forgotten hero on a quest to save the Greek gods. Later, the game’s DLC explored Chinese mythology by having players take control of a new hero, martial artist Ku.

Sources told VGC future plans for Immortals were cast into doubt after the company decided to pivot towards its most prominent brands.

In January, Ubisoft said it had cancelled three unannounced games (not including the Immortals sequel) and was planning to strengthen its focus on its biggest IPs and live services following weaker than expected software sales over the holiday season.

This year’s Mirage is one of at least six Assassin’s Creed games Ubisoft currently has in development, for example. And in May, the company announced plans to increase the number of staff working on the series by 40% over the coming years by reallocating staff from other franchises.

VGC understands Immortals: Fenyx Rising did find a modest audience, but a lot of it came via discounting. And to put it into context, its sales in Europe were around 70% lower than what Assassin’s Creed Valhalla managed to achieve over a similar timeframe.

If Ubisoft has decided not to continue with the series, it’s not particularly surprising considering its stated strategy and the game’s modest sales performance.

An Ubisoft spokesperson told VGC the company “does not comment on rumours or speculation”.