Ubisoft on Yearly Assassin's Creed: We'd Be Stupid Not to Satisfy This Need

[Alex Co]

Ubisoft on Yearly Assassin's Creed: We'd Be Stupid Not to Satisfy This Need

Ubisoft vice president of creative Lionel Raynaud claims the publisher is able to release a new Assassin's Creed title every year because people want a new Assassin's Creed game annually.

Regardless if gamers are tired of the franchise or not, the Assassin's Creed series sees an entry every year for almost every platform conceived. Speaking to EDGE magazine [http://www.edge-online.com/news/ubisoft-will-continue-to-support-old-gen-consoles-for-years-to-come/], Ubisoft vice president of creative Lionel Raynaud talks about the pressure of releasing a major entry in the publisher's arguably biggest series annually, and claims Ubisoft would be "stupid" to not release a new Assassin's Creed game every year since people want it to come out every year.

We are able to offer people a new Assassin's Creed every year because they want Assassin's Creed every year. As long as this is true we would be very stupid to not satisfy this need, but it puts a lot of pressure on us to create something that will never disappoint...It needs to keep the series core values and we need to really make sure that we have a good, high level understanding of what it is to be an Assassin. We have to make sure we always deliver a better feel and overall experience every time while still bringing something that they haven't seen before that's consistent with being an Assassin in the world we've created.

While Ubisoft sells a load of Assassin's Creed games every year it's released, the publisher also needs to make sure the gaming public doesn't hit a saturation point since it is Ubi's flagship series in its stable. Do you agree that it'd be "stupid" to not release a new Assassin's Creed game every year since people are thirsty for more or are people slowly feeling the dreaded franchise fatigue when it comes to the series?

This year's entry in the annual series will be called Assasssin's Creed: Unity and will be set in Paris according to Ubisoft. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133132-Assassins-Creed-Unity-Set-in-Paris-Says-Ubisoft]

Source: EDGE [http://www.edge-online.com/news/ubisoft-will-continue-to-support-old-gen-consoles-for-years-to-come/]

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[shrekfan246]

Hey, Ubisoft? Do you remember what happened to the Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero franchises?

Have you seen the response to Call of Duty: Ghosts? Or your own Assassin's Creed III? Did you completely miss the fact that many people were excited for Black Flag because you got to be a pirate, which was something actually different for once (in addition to being a very underutilized theme in video games at the moment)? And that now there's a lot of apprehension surrounding the new Assassin's Creed, because a lot of people are just straight bored of the typical Assassin's Creed gameplay formula?

No?

You're going to keep shoving out more and more of them until it all collapses on itself and you have to find a new franchise to become your money-maker?

Okay, well, I'm sure you know better than a random guy on the internet anyway.

 

[Glaice]

We don't need yearly sequels, it will get stagnant and some consumers will want something new, not the same series all the time.

 

[Tanis]

I think 'yearly' series can work, if you do a '1 year is a main, 1 year is a side' type of a deal.

For example:
2013 was the year of Black Flag.
2014 could be a solid spin-off focusing on a side character, set in the same time period but a different hub.

 

[Ldude893]

There's no '[citation needed]' sign that's big enough to cover Mr. Raynaud's statement. I'm pretty sure most consumers would prefer the quality of a series over the rate of release.

 

[BeeGeenie]

Replace the word "yearly" with the words "consistently good" and then you have a "need."

No one needs a yearly dose of Ass Creed. What the gaming world needs is publishers that are more interested in quality than quantity.

 

[rbstewart7263]

Ill grant that as a yearly ass creed does engage me more than it doesnt. But how long will that last?

 

[Vault101]

Oh come on ubi I don't need an ass creed every year, in fact it's pretty much killed the series for me

But then I can't argue with your bottom line

 

[Vivi22]

There is no "need" for an Assassin's Creed game every year. They sell every year because the fans that can still stand the series like the series and want to keep up, and if it weren't for games like AC2 and AC4 sprucing up the series a bit every couple of years even those people would be sick of it by now.

And I wouldn't be surprised if even those occasional tune ups won't keep it going much longer. The series story wise went off the rails before 3 ever came out, and I couldn't bring myself to play it but I've heard it only got worse with that one.

He's confusing continued sales based on the strength of previous games and the occasional slight change to the formula with actual demand. Just because people are buying it doesn't mean the demand is going to be there year after year. And just because you're selling a game every year does not mean you're actually filling a real demand.

If they were at least a little smart about it and would go a couple of years between releases so they could make better titles and give people a chance to build some actual anticipation for the next release, that'd at least be somewhat smart. But we've seen repeatedly that these yearly releases die out eventually. Guitar Hero and Rock Band died extremely quickly because of the high cost. Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed are taking a bit longer because they're at least not $100+ each year. Several years ago, it was WW2 shooters that were dead as a door nail. When these yearly releases and over done styles go, it's not just franchises that day, it's damn near entire genres. AC is going to burn people out, and when it does, I doubt we'll see another game with it's style of gameplay for years. And Ubisoft is going to be left standing there wondering what the hell happened while looking for their new yearly franchise to replace it, none the wiser for the experience.

 

[Andy Shandy]

First thing I thought of

Except I don't have a need for an annual AC. Quit the opposite actually.

Ah well, can't wait for the inevitable death of this franchise in a few years. I suppose it at least means one of the games will have a proper ending.

 

[Scorpid]

It's not a need its a want. People like Ice Cream but you give them ONLY that, they'll decide they'd rather never eat it again for the rest of their life but spread it out some maybe throw in some dreaded veggies and meat then Ice Cream stays profitable for much longer.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Though I understand your business imperative to milk the cow until it dies, everyone gets sick of the same-old shit eventually, Mr. Raynaud.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Oh come on ubi I don't need an ass creed every year, in fact it's pretty much killed the series for me

But then I can't argue with your bottom line

I...

I thought you were banned?

In fact I'm sure of it. We had special mourning gifs and everything. How in the heck - Did you regenerate or something?

Oh well. Welcome back. I think.

 

[Falterfire]

Hey, Ubisoft? Do you remember what happened to the Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero franchises?

I don't know a ton about Tony Hawk, but Guitar Hero died because they massively oversaturated far beyond one a year. You had World Tour, 5, Aerosmith, Metallica, Van Halen, Smash Hits, and Band Hero all in a two year period (08-09) plus Rock Band releasing a game or two in the same period.

I don't think one Assassin's Creed game a year will result in the same insane crash, especially since playing an AC game doesn't require you to keep a bulky and expensive peripheral around.

 

[Vault101]

Oh come on ubi I don't need an ass creed every year, in fact it's pretty much killed the series for me

But then I can't argue with your bottom line

I...

I thought you were banned?

In fact I'm sure of it. We had special mourning gifs and everything. How in the heck - Did you regenerate or something?

Oh well. Welcome back. I think.

Much like eminem I made a comeback

 

[Queen Michael]

Is it just me, or does the headline sound like the beginning of a poem?