Ubisoft: "We've Learned From Watch_Dogs' Mistakes"

[Steven Bogos]

Ubisoft: "We've Learned From Watch_Dogs' Mistakes"

Ubisoft admits it reached too far and hyped too much for Watch_Dogs.

Remember The Guardian [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/watch%20dogs?os=watch+dogs] reflects on Watch_Dog's failures, and is adamant that the company as a whole has learned from its mistakes, and won't be quick to make them again.

"It's a real challenge to create those types of games," said Guillemot. "When they come out, especially the first iterations, they are not perfect on everything. We think we launched a good quality game for a first step in a new brand with a new technology. It's just so complex - seamless multiplayer, connectivity with mobile and tablets, so many things - it was maybe a bit too much for a first iteration."

One of the biggest problems gamers had with Watch_Dogs was the way it was revealed - a trailer with incredibly impressive visuals that we later learned were Killzone E3 2005 debacle [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/135461-Watch-Dogs-PC-Modders-Find-Hidden-E3-Settings-Improve-Performance-Update]. It's something Guillemot says Ubisoft will not repeat, and for this year's E3, ensured that (almost) all of its games were in a playable state.

"With E3 2015 we said, OK, let's make sure the games are playable, that they're running on the target machines. When we show something, we ask the team, make sure it's playable, make sure gamers can immediately see exactly what it is. That's what we learned from the Watch_Dogs experience - if it can't be played on the target machine, it can be a risk."

Lastly, Guillemot says that he wants to invest more time and money into smaller, off-beat titles like Valiant Hearts and Child of Light, which have proven to be very successful for the company without costing millions of dollars and requiring colossal development cycles.

Source: The Guardian [http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/06/ubisoft-chief-mistakes-watch-dogs-yves-guillemot]

Permalink

 

[enginieri]

Ubisoft needs real change, starting from replacing you, Yves... you learned nothing.. try releasing the next watch dogs with the actual Steam refund policy and we will see.

 

[oldtaku]

Yeah, right, you learned something. For one release. Then you'll forget it all over again. It's the real Assassin's Creed cycle.

Also, maybe don't show off games before they've gone through the Ubisoft focus group that turns them all into Ubisoft Game with reskin.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

They'll just make a Watch Dogs 2, it'll probably be slightly better, and then they'll milk that to death.

 

[Worgen]

Does that mean they will rip uplay out of all the ubisoft games I want to play?

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

In a rational world, this means they would make a sequel so good that it could potentially redeem what the first game did wrong.
In reality, they will either drop the IP altogether, or create a sequel that will be slightly better, but still not enough to drum up the attention they want for it.

I was REALLY hoping for Watch Dogs to be something. I was blown away at the detail shown at E3, and kept replaying what could potentially be possible with the hacking system in my head. I upgraded my system in preparation, and planned to dedicate a few days to playing the game two weeks after it launched.

Watch Dogs was the last straw when it came to hyping myself up for games. I'll still get a bit excited, but I have been really trying hard not to get my hopes too high for new games, even established franchises. Far Cry 4's awful PC performance was also a contributing factor, also an Ubisoft title.

Ubisoft, there was a time where I was happy to see your logo on a game. Now...now I don't know anymore.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

So you'll stop making overhyped overpriced poorly optimised Shmassassins Shmeed games with horrible extra services no-one wants and ludicrously expensive and extensive DLC?

No?

It's a shame because I LOVE Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed 2, and there's nothing wrong with a company sticking to one genre if they're really good at it like Platinum's spectacle fighters and From's RPGs. But Ubi just keeps on remaking one or two good games over and over without getting what made them good, thinking it'll make money. The goose that laid the golden egg comes to mind.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

No, they haven't. AAA never learns! OR, if they do, they've learned the wrong lesson. To Ubisoft the lesson was "Hype the game EVEN more and sell twice as many copies before reviews and word of mouth get out." Get all the cash back and a profit going in 48hrs!

Make no mistake, no AAA game or fuck even the indie Devs have the gamer's best interest at heart.

 

[Shadefyre]

So at what point are Ubi going to decide to refuse to sell games on Steam because of the refund policy? Probably after the next Unity sized cockup. I want to have hope for them, because they do occasionally put out a good game, but it's always one step forward, five steps back with them. Maybe Wildlands won't be horribly broken on PC and a retread of the same Ubisoft open world, but I'll wait and see.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Remember The Guardian [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/watch%20dogs?os=watch+dogs] reflects on Watch_Dog's failures, and is adamant that the company as a whole has learned from its mistakes, and won't be quick to make them again.

Well of course they won't be quick to make them again; they'll probably spend at least a few years on the next Watch Dogs.

 

[STENDEC1]

Sure you have Ubisoft. I'm sure your next game won't be an over-hyped, abhorrently optimised and broken POS on release.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Pretty words, Ubi... now lets see some action to back that up because words are meaningless without solid evidence of a real change. I'm inclined to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but I'm keeping you at arms length until you show that you're good for your word and not just a big talker.

 

[Something Amyss]

Yeah, right, you learned something. For one release. Then you'll forget it all over again. It's the real Assassin's Creed cycle.

And gamers will let them.

Does that mean they will rip uplay out of all the ubisoft games I want to play?

You hear that? That's the derisive laughter of Ubisoft. I can hear it all the way over here.

I mean, I agree they SHOULD, and I might actually buy more games, but...not gonna happen.

 

[Setch Dreskar]

Do you smell that... it smells like bullshit.

The cycle continues, Ubisoft learns nothing, still shovels squalor and wants us to buy their products before they reveal its actually crap and do the same song and dance over again.

Could they actually turn things around, maybe but I very much doubt it. I will be happy to be proven wrong though if they do pull their heads out.

 

[RealRT]

Yeah, sod off, Ubisoft. Show that you changed, don't tell - words aren't worth crap when it comes to this industry.

 

[thewatergamer]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm sorry, it's just the idea of Ubisoft actually learning something HAHAHAHAHAHA, *sigh* man you guys are hilarious in how pathetic and desperate you are sometimes... Thanks for the laugh Ubisoft, I'll believe it when I see you remove Uplay from all of your games, stop with pre-rendered trailers and BS DLC/pre-order practices and have multiple releases in succession that work almost flawlessly on all systems including PC

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Or perhaps they will be pulling their titles from Steam so they won't have to deal with angry, buggy refunds.

 

[Elfgore]

I'll believe it when I see it. You can say "I've changed, baby!" all you want. But I'm sure if I pre-order or day one buy your next game, I'm coming out of it with a black eye and out sixty bucks.

 

[circularlogic88]

Why wouldn't you want your game demo and footage to accurately reflect the end product other than to over hype and mislead consumers? This industry makes its own problems.

 

[zinho73]

I should have been running those companies. Everything he is learning now, I found it was obvious a long time ago.