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Ubisoft CEO: Nintendo-Like Quality Games

Dante

By Dante
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Dante Newbie

Dante

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Yves Guillemot, CEO of Paris, France-based Ubisoft, delivered a fascinating presentation during BMO Capital Markets’ Annual Interactive Entertainment Conference in New York City on Tuesday.

 

Guillemot seemed particularly enthusiastic about Nintendo’s success in both the handheld and home console markets.

 

“[Nintendo’s mass market strategy] is very profitable for Nintendo, and very profitable for all third-party publishers,” he said. “…Because [the strategy] is working, we create more product [for Nintendo platforms] and this will actually bring more people into the industry. The Wii is going to continue to do extremely well with no limit to growth.

 

Guillemot said Ubisoft currently has 400-500 people who are dedicated to the Wii platform right now, and believes that next year, Ubisoft will have “Nintendo-like quality” on the Wii.

 

He also praised the DS for helping expand Ubisoft’s business as well as the industry worldwide. CFO Alain Martinez added that DS games, with their relatively low development costs, achieve profitability at around 100,000 units sold, while a next-gen game for PS3 or Xbox 360 needs to sell around 1.3 million.

 

Guillemot also said that Xbox 360 was performing very well, with much of its success due to the execution of Xbox Live and its features.

 

Sony’s machine wasn’t forgotten, as he called the PS3 a “very affordable machine” now that the price has dropped to $499, a price tag that will be “good for this year.” With its Blu-ray capabilities, Guillemot claimed the console is “putting our industry in a new environment where we’ll be able to have more cinematics and movie-like games,” and will in turn help close the gap between games and movies.

 

While some developers have been outspoken about the difficulties with multi-platform development, particularly problems with the PS3 hardware, Guillemot said that Ubisoft now creates games for PS3 and Xbox 360 simultaneously.

 

“We consider those two machines close in what we can do with them,” he said.

 

“...It doesn’t cost more than 10 percent extra to develop for the other machine. So you start [development] on either 360 or you start on PS3.”

 

He added, “Before, it was costing us more like 20 percent, just because it was difficult to learn the PS3 hardware, but now our engines are done, and we can easily develop for both machines.”

 

One major multi-platform release is Assassin’s Creed, which is arriving later this month for Xbox 360 and PS3. Consumer buzz around the product remains high, and Ubisoft expects the game to live up to expectations from a critical and commercial standpoint.

 

“The indication that we have on Assassin’s Creed is that at the moment it’s looking to [have an average critical score] of over 90 percent,” Guillemot said.

 

He also said that the PC is a “growing” market, and Ubisoft will be delivering Far Cry 2 on PC first, as well as launching casual MMOs at the end of next year and in 2009. “We are looking at [PC] to create more brands that will also be on console, but we’ll also create specific brands just for PC.”

 

 

Next-Gen.Biz

jammy2211 Newbie

jammy2211

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Read this earlier, all I'm going to say is "prove it" cause they've done a pretty terrible job thus far. Rayman Raving Rabids 2 is shaping up to be the best party game on the console though, so at least they're doing something right.

 

I heard some rumours about a Beyond Good & Evil 2 flying around though, which would get Ubisoft back on my good side again. Provided they don't screw it up, of course.

Strange Cookie Newbie

Strange Cookie

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Miracles happen.

 

If they can regain the quality from their Prince of Persia: Sands of Time/Splinter Cell/ Beyond Good & Evil-era, they can pat themselves on their collective shoulder. If they continue what they're doing now, however...

Noku Newbie

Noku

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If they continue what they're doing now, however...

 

... asses will be kicked and names will be taken?

 

Ubisoft should consider releasing their "mature" games on Wii. FarCry 2, Assassin's Creed, Haze, etc.

tapedeck Newbie

tapedeck

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I personally believe they have the skill to make consistent quality games up there with Nintendo. Beyond Good and Evil is still one of my favourite games ever made. And possibly my favourite cube game. It is a little short but what content there is, is wonderful. And I would rate it alongside Mario sunshine and Wind Waker in my eyes. Infact, it is a lot like Zelda.

 

I feel companies sometimes strike gold with a game (Glover, Rocket: Robot on wheels, Spacestation: Silicon Valley, Psychonauts etc) But those "golden" games sometimes don't sell. Ubi have the position of being able to market and publish their games and so I really feel they are in a great position to always sell their products. (Maybe I'm wrong as BG&E bombed!!) But with the current crop of consoles UBI have a great chance of selling well across all platforms. I just hope they don't become arrogant or neive as to what they distribute on each console. Something I feel they border on with some comments directed at the Wii.

 

I'm sure a company who makes titles such as Splinter Cell (where a massive MGS niche was,) localises and distributes DS 'games' such as Jam Sessions, has confidence in "My word coach" (utilising DS to Wii connectivity) and goes for the jugular of the casual market really want to bring as much "appropriate" software to the world as possible. In my eyes that's a good thing right?

 

They may have been sloppy in the past but I think Ubi learn fast. I don't think we will see as sloppy a game as Farcry for the Wii anytime in the future. If anything sales of the title will have seen to that :heh:

Yet when you look at RRR2 (and it's ideas) they seem like a company that enjoy what they do. A rarity and a refreshing change from the mindset of nothing but a programming powerhouse.

Tellyn Newbie

Tellyn

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I think they've substituted quality for quantity. They USED to make good games, until they decided to take on EA to be the biggest console publisher there is.

DCK Newbie

DCK

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Nice words. If they'll make a quality game of Red Steel 2 and make a Beyond Good & Evil 2 for Wii, I will be very happy indeed. Michel Ancel has been rather quiet lately, and he's said to be working on a project that "means a lot to him". I'll keep my fingers crossed.

ShadowV7 Newbie

ShadowV7

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Guys your mixing up what Ubosift is saying here. They want to do Nintendo quality like games on the level of Mario Party.

 

Don't you get it? It was a subliminal message.

Iun Apprentice

Iun

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meh i lost all hope with them when they released their 400th pet simulator.

 

Pet simulator 400 is out?!?! Why did no-one tell me?!

 

And I really rather liked Red Steel, but Rabbids thoroughly wound me up with controls in one game that totally stopped working after a while.

Kurtle Squad Newbie

Kurtle Squad

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Pet simulator 400 is out?!?! Why did no-one tell me?!

 

And I really rather liked Red Steel, but Rabbids thoroughly wound me up with controls in one game that totally stopped working after a while.

Yeah; it's called My Pet Spunk.:smile:

mcj metroid Newbie

mcj metroid

Posted
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Pet simulator 400 is out?!?! Why did no-one tell me?!

 

And I really rather liked Red Steel, but Rabbids thoroughly wound me up with controls in one game that totally stopped working after a while.

 

7901.jpg

when you have boxarts like this you know the devolper pushed the system to it's limit

 

Yeah; it's called My Pet Spunk.:smile:

 

DON'T GIVE THEM IDEAS!!!!!

ShadowV7 Newbie

ShadowV7

Posted
Posted

Now that is just premoting underage sex.

 

Here you go Sandra, we know since your 13 now and you can't play with baby dolls forever so have this.

 

BAM

 

Week later she's pregnant and has 3 STDs.

Konfucius Newbie

Konfucius

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Actually some Ubisoft games (although I personally don't like the style in most of their games) got pretty good reviews: Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon AW and Assassins Creed looks very promising as well.

Now if they put those resources behind Wii titles we should actually see something good - sure not Nintendo-like good but still good.

 

But to add a pessimistic touch to good Ubisoft games: I think this will happen at the same day that Sadness is released - and I know when that is going to be: the same day Duke Nukem Forever is released. :D

 

*stupid rant over*

pedrocasilva Newbie

pedrocasilva

Posted
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Dont forgot the Imagine series of games on the DS

 

100makinbabies.jpg

That's so lame, the boxart images have watermarks of stock photo sellers, like iStockPhoto and Stock Xpert. They hadn't even bought the images and still released this into the internet... it's just so... amateur.
jammy2211 Newbie

jammy2211

Posted
Posted

PErsonally I believe Ubisoft are more then capable of matching Nintendo quality, and exceeding it. To me that's undoubted, BG&E shat all over the latest Zelda's in my opinion, much like how RRR2 is set to destroy Mario Party 8 in quality.

 

Of course, they're not as consistent as Nintendo. There is no doubt going to be alot of garbage amongst their best games, and plenty of filler. Thing is, I can forgive that provided they deliver one amazing game, which I think is the very least we'll see from them.

 

I eagerly await what Ubisoft have planned for 2008, they were the first third party to give any support to the Wii so I'm hoping they'll be the first to up resources and general quality now it's a proven success.

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