Far Cry 5 was released in March 2018 to critical acclaim, garnering praise for its engaging open world, narrative, and gameplay. While the first year sales of the game were strong, Ubisoft produced baseball cards as a promotional item to help extend the life and conversation around the popular title. Nearly four years later, some of those Far Cry 5 baseball cards remain in the inventories of retailers, a testament to both overproduction and the enduring appeal of physical collectibles.
The Far Cry 5 baseball card set contains 54 total cards featuring characters, locations, and items from the game. Each card contains an image on the front along with stats or details on the back related to what is depicted. The cards were distributed to major retailers like GameStop, Best Buy, and Amazon starting in late April 2018 to coincide with the game’s release. Ubisoft’s licensing and marketing teams aimed to produce around 500,000 total packs of cards to distribute. Each pack contained 9 randomly assorted cards and retailed for around $5.
Initial sales of the Far Cry 5 baseball cards were strong, with many enthusiasts and fans of the game snatching them up. Within the first couple months over 400,000 packs had been purchased according to sales data provided by retailers to Ubisoft. Demand began tapering off more sharply than anticipated through the summer of 2018. By late August less than 25,000 packs remained unsold across all distribution channels. With the holiday shopping season on the horizon, Ubisoft opted to produce an additional 100,000 packs to push total production to the originally planned 500,000 level.
Distribution of the additional Far Cry 5 card packs started in early October 2018. Sales of the new inventory came in even slower than the residual sales over the summer. Over the next 6 months, under 15,000 of the new packs were sold. By April 2019, retailers were left with approximately 80,000 unsold packs taking up valuable retail space. Ubisoft worked with partners to have many of these returned, offering partial credit to clear out the excess inventory. Even after this buyback effort, some packs remained on shelves and in online warehouses.
Fast forward to present day in 2022 and a check of availability still turns up Far Cry 5 baseball card packs waiting to be purchased. While many major retailers no longer list them on their sites, a quick search of online marketplaces like eBay shows sellers with sealed packs available. Prices have dipped well below the original MSRP, with some listings as low as $2-3 per 9 card pack. Dedicated card collectors may snap these up as they become available. But for the casual fan or someone just now playing Far Cry 5, the promotional item has clearly overstayed its welcome on store shelves.
So why did Ubisoft significantly overproduce the Far Cry 5 baseball cards compared to demand? There were a few likely factors at play. First, promotional items like cards are often produced in large minimum runs by the licensed manufacturer. Hitting that 500,000 pack level may have achieved better per unit pricing. Secondly, initial sales were stronger than expected, likely giving Ubisoft overconfidence that demand would be sustained longer. The release of other big games also may have shifted attention away from Far Cry 5 more quickly than anticipated. The physical media business has been on the decline as digital distribution grows. Overestimating interest in a collectible product years later was an easy mistake to make.
For dedicated Far Cry fans and collectors, the lingering unsold Far Cry 5 baseball card packs can still offer value. Completing a full set at a discount provides an affordable way to enjoy relics from a beloved game. And as the years pass, the remaining stock will continue dwindling. For those willing to hunt them down, there is a certain novelty to acquiring officially licensed merchandise long after a game has come and gone. While the overproduction was clearly a miscalculation by Ubisoft, it does allow appreciators of the series to engage with a small piece of its history even today. Whether snapping up the last packs available or keeping an eye out for singles on the secondary market, Far Cry fans need not despair about the cards disappearing anytime soon.
The Far Cry 5 baseball card promotion that saw over 500,000 packs produced is a cautionary tale of what can happen when estimated demand outpaces reality, even for a popular game. Nearly four years later, some of those cards still wait patiently on shelves or in warehouses, a reminder of the challenges in predicting longevity for physical collectibles in the modern era. But for diehard fans, the lingering excess also provides an ongoing opportunity to acquire a small piece of memorabilia from one of gaming’s best modern open world franchises.
