Ubisoft is banking on the success of "Assassin's Creed Shadows" to fight its way out of financial troubles as the French videogame publisher grapples with falling revenue, a sinking stock price and takeover speculation.

Ubisoft isn’t out to reinvent the formula with Shadows. In fact, there’s nothing mechanically (or even narratively) that separates this game from its predecessor, Assassin’s Creed Mirage. It’s just moved the game to a new location, with new characters and storylines. The strength of the game comes from whether Ubisoft can make those things pop.

Ubisoft's next big release is Assassin's Creed Shadows, which debuts on March 20. According to analyst Joost Van Dreunen, the game's release is a "bit of an existential moment" for Ubisoft.