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Black Flag Resynced Sells Millions as Studio That Built Its Acclaimed Underwater Content Strikes Over Planned Cuts

The game's huge launch creates pressure on Ubisoft over monetization, always‑online activation risks, planned cuts at Ubisoft Barcelona.

Overview

  • The remake, which launched on July 9, sold two million copies on its first day and set a new franchise peak for Steam concurrency according to Ubisoft and market data.
  • Players and reviewers praised the game's visuals and underwater systems while many also protested prominent day‑one microtransactions and a Ubisoft Connect activation outage that briefly made the PC version unplayable.
  • Analyst estimates show strong early revenue on Steam — roughly 701,000 copies for about $35 million plus nearly $1 million from day‑one DLC — even as Steam review‑bombing over monetization lowered some user scores.
  • Ubisoft Barcelona, credited with the game's underwater mechanics and multiple quests, faces a proposed 51 layoffs and has held a three‑day strike with about 90 staff rallying to demand job protections and better severance offers.
  • The launch comes during a wider Ubisoft restructuring that includes cost cuts and a Tencent‑linked Vantage reorganization and the company has signaled a short pause in major releases followed by a larger content pipeline in fiscal years 2027–29.