Ubisoft won’t consider a new game unless it can be made into a franchise
In an interview with A-List Daily, Tony Key, Ubisoft Vice President of Sales and Marketing, explained:
We won’t even start [a game] if we don’t think we can make it into a franchise”
Previously in April, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat said to expect more annual sequels of previous Ubisoft titles rather than new IPs. “There’s no more fire and forget- it’s too expensive,” Key says. Ubisoft has no problem spending money but only when that title has potential. An example is the difference between marketing Assassins Creed IV and Watch Dogs.
Since the Assassins Creed Franchise has been well established. Marketing has been geared towards the existing fan base. According to Key, Assassins Creed III was Ubisofts largest marketing campaign ever. When asked about the marketing budget for Assassins Creed IV, Key replied:
Its not bigger, its smarter. When you suddenly double your marketing budget [for Assassins Creed III], you end up learning a lot of things about what works and what doesn’t.”
Watch Dogs is scheduled to release November 19, 2013.
Watch Dogs is completely different. There is no previous fan base.
With Watch Dogs we are in acquisition mode. … we are trying to acquire people. We feel like we are in a good place with Watch Dogs, but until we’re the biggest game of the year we aren’t going to be satisfied.”
It’s disappointing that Ubisoft won’t be taking risks with new IPs in the future. I would rather see more risky things like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon than another sequel to the Assassin’s Creed Series or to Far Cry. As long as sequels don’t feel rushed and add enough to the story, it seems like die-hard fans won’t mind though. With current costs, Ubisoft feels its just easier to sell a sequel to a popular title than create a whole new IP.
What would you rather see a brand new title or a sequel to a already popular franchise like Far Cry?
Let us know in the comments.
Source: A-List Daily
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