Watch Dogs 2 Pre-Orders Below Ubisoft's Expectations

Good fiscal performance in Ubi's second half.

By Seth G. Macy

During a call with investors today, Ubisoft said pre-orders for Watch Dogs 2 were not as high as the company had expected.

The Crew, Rainbow Six Siege, and The Division each have more that 10 million registered players, the company also revealed. A steady flow of updates to its games has helped grow its monthly active user 44 percent over last year.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained pre-orders for Far Cry 3 also came in below company expectations in the lead up to the game's release, but positive reception to the game led to high sales none the less.

"People wanted to see if the game was up to standards," Guillemot said during the question and answer period of the call, believing the lower than expected pre-orders for Watch Dogs 2 are the result of a similar situation.

Guillemot took a moment during the call to mention the potential Ubisoft sees in Nintendo Switch, as Ubisoft has been the top third-party supporter of Nintendo consoles for the last 10 years. Expressing enthusiasm at the hybrid design of the Switch, Guillemot called the console a "true innovation."

Ubisoft also revealed its racer The Crew continues to bring in revenue for the company, in spite of having released a year and a half ago. Our review of The Crew found the game simply "OK," but continued support has made it a hit with users. Revenue for The Crew is the same as it was during the same period last year.

Details for the Watch Dogs 2 season pass were outlined yesterday.

Seth Macy is IGN's weekend web producer and just wants to be your friend. Follow him on Twitter @sethmacy, or subscribe to Seth Macy's YouTube channel.

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