Ubisoft CEO: PS4/Xbox One Pre-Orders "Twice" Last Gen's

[StewShearerOld]

Ubisoft CEO: PS4/Xbox One Pre-Orders "Twice" Last Gen's

Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot says Assassin's Creed IV and Watch Dogs are among the "top five for most pre-ordered" next-gen titles.

The launch of a new console generation can be a tough time for publishers. Gamers might be hungry for new hardware but it still takes time for new, fully priced consoles to establish a user base large enough to support the sizable sales numbers that game companies like best. If Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is correct however, that may not be as much of an issue with the coming launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Speaking at a recent Ubisoft earnings call, Guillemot commented on reports from retailers that spoke of a dramatic overall increase in console pre-orders.

"Some retailers, not all of them, are saying pre-orders two times than what they saw in the last generation launch," said Guillemot. "They're getting more pre-orders than what they saw before." In turn, Ubisoft representatives expect, by this Christmas, for next-gen consoles to have double the user base of the previous generation at the same time in its life cycle. Guillemot was also happy to note that Ubisoft products, including Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed IV are among the "top five for most pre-ordered games" for next-gen consoles.

While the PS4 and Xbox One doing twice as well at launch as their predecessors is impressive, we can't really say we're surprised. Since pre-orders initially opened, multiple retailers have had to <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126003-GameStop-Cuts-Off-Xbox-One-Launch-Day-Pre-Orders>cap <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125776-GameStop-Puts-a-Cap-on-PS4-Pre-Orders>sales as supplies have run out. At one point during E3, Amazon reported selling as many as <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125289-PS4-and-Xbox-One-Drive-Amazon-Pre-Orders-Through-the-Roof>2500 consoles per minute. It goes without saying that the early success of the PS4 and Xbox One could be good news for publishers like Ubisoft.

Source: CVG


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[Eri]

So I'd like to see some people's faces when they manage to get a copy of these games but they can't manage to secure themselves a console to play it on. You know that's gonna happen to people a few times.

 

[Griffolion]

So I'd like to see some people's faces when they manage to get a copy of these games but they can't manage to secure themselves a console to play it on. You know that's gonna happen to people a few times.

This. Forever this.

And the one ultra-frustrated person who will try to play it on their PS3/XB1...

 

[Pyrian]

The only success that matters at the end of the day is how many gamers actually take the leap, and part with their cash.

Sure, sure, of course. But we're not at the end of the day. In fact, we're months before said "day" even starts. So, it's basically all we've got. And it's enough that manufacturers and publishers may seriously consider ramping up production to meet demand. They have to make calls like that, and they have to do it with information on hand, and not information they won't have until long after it's too late.

Personally, I think this has a lot to do with the length of the current generation. People want a new console generation more than they did last time.

 

[Roxas1359]

The thing is, pre-orders alone are not that useful as a barometer of success. It's making a reservation, sure, but as anyone who's worked in a restaurant can tell you, reservations can be cancelled at the last minute for the slightest reason. Pre-ordering a console doesn't require you to pay for the console in advance, nor in most cases does it require you to lay down any cash at all. And many, many gamers will cancel their pre-orders when it gets closer to launch time, either because they don't have the money, or because they've lost interest in the console or game.

I agree for the most part, only thing is that some places will make you put money down on a console when preordering it. That part really depends on where ever you are preordering from. Some mom and pop stores might have you put some money down or pay it all off from the get go, and I know that Walmart at times has you pay full price for the item and then you just pick it up.

OT: Really while pre-orders set up a good expectation, like jeffers said they can be cancelled and not charged/refunded at any time the person chooses.

 

[Tanakh]

The thing is, pre-orders alone are not that useful as a barometer of success.

Do you have any source for this? Because while the only thing that matters is how many games it sells, I would think that you are completely wrong and pre orders are a very good barometer of success. That said, it's just a gut feeling, haven't seen the data on it.

 

[Saltyk]

So... Does that mean he actually has numbers? Because I am actually quite curious about what the actual numbers are. Best I can do is ask my local shops (which is nowhere near a good judge) or look at the Amazon Top 100, to see what is selling. So far, I have an idea of which is more popular, but the numbers elude me.

Anyway, this is a good thing in the long run. A large install base means more games for the system. And if there are more games, that gives me a better chance at getting better games.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

The thing is, pre-orders alone are not that useful as a barometer of success. It's making a reservation, sure, but as anyone who's worked in a restaurant can tell you, reservations can be cancelled at the last minute for the slightest reason. Pre-ordering a console doesn't require you to pay for the console in advance, nor in most cases does it require you to lay down any cash at all. And many, many gamers will cancel their pre-orders when it gets closer to launch time, either because they don't have the money, or because they've lost interest in the console or game.

As a sign of community interest, pre-orders are a valid measuring stick, but they should not be used as a barometer of success. The only success that matters at the end of the day is how many gamers actually take the leap, and part with their cash.

Plus, let's face it, the only reason pubs throw out these vague pre-order estimations is in an attempt to build hype so they can get even MORE pre-orders and sales as quickly as possible. Games typically don't have legs (unless you're Nintendo) so if they don't make their budgets back within three to four weeks they're probably NEVER making it back.

 

[Tanakh]

The thing is, pre-orders alone are not that useful as a barometer of success.

After a quick google, http://apps.olin.wustl.edu/faculty/zhang/Zhang-Journal/preorder.pdf , pre-orders and sales on new items are positevly correlated. This proves your post in general wrong, though it's not VG specific.

 

[1337mokro]

My god this title! It's horrible! It's so confusing! Would it have been to much to put in an of?

Also this is obviously bullshit. There aren't even enough pre-ordered consoles to sell twice the amount of pre-orders for.

 

[Strazdas]

This is very simple. when Eggsbox and PS3 came out the consoles that were runing back then Xbox and PS2 were still in full swing runing very well. what we have now is completely obsolete hardware of current consoles people want to move on from. The problem is, the current hardware is quite old too so unless next cycle will come in like 4 years, this is going to be hell for console gaming again.

The thing is, pre-orders alone are not that useful as a barometer of success. It's making a reservation, sure, but as anyone who's worked in a restaurant can tell you, reservations can be cancelled at the last minute for the slightest reason. Pre-ordering a console doesn't require you to pay for the console in advance, nor in most cases does it require you to lay down any cash at all. And many, many gamers will cancel their pre-orders when it gets closer to launch time, either because they don't have the money, or because they've lost interest in the console or game.

As a sign of community interest, pre-orders are a valid measuring stick, but they should not be used as a barometer of success. The only success that matters at the end of the day is how many gamers actually take the leap, and part with their cash.

Thats only if you count reservations as preorders. you shouldnt. preorder is when you pay money ahead for a product or service that you will recieve later. simply putting a name in into reservation list is not preorder. except you need to boost the nubmers somehow right?
preorders can be used as some measure of sucess if you only count real preorders (paid upfront). but thats more like "Sucess in selling the hype" than anything.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Now imagine if MS kept its 24 hour check in and the servers collapsed due to the strain.