The future of European publishing is diversity, not concentration | Opinion

▤ Summary

The article analyses recent weak financial results from Ubisoft and Embracer and argues they reflect the failure of the large-scale, debt-fuelled AAA publishing model. It contrasts Embracer's fragmentation and Ubisoft's attempts to hold scale together with a healthier cohort of smaller, founder-led European publishers that focus on niche genres, sensible headcount and creative curation. The piece highlights strong contributions from Eastern European studios and self-publishing developers like Larian and CD Projekt, noting they drive cultural hits without pursuing oversized scale. The author concludes Europe’s publishing future lies in diversity and stability among many specialised publishers rather than concentration in a few giants.

▦ Linked Companies

Ubisoft

$1B+