1080 isn't necessary BUT when you're a big AAA studio promising shiny graphics and revolutionary "everything" on a new gen consoles each time you have a new game, you should be able to make a game that can be played in a resolution available since what ? five or six years on an average PC.
You can't compare a SNES game to the next AC game... It's like comparing Super Mario Bros on SNes to Assassin's Creed 3 on whatever support... Their is no challenge for Mario, it's not even funny !
I agree for the 4K TV, it's a little part of the customers. For now. To be honest, you can see a lot of indi dev teams that can put 1080 on any of their games, yes, their graphics are somehow minimalist BUT they don't have the same funding or capacity Ubisoft put in any of their products.
Beside all of this, he speak for the Xone mag, so he had to tell the Xone customers they've the best product. Biased, untrue but it's his job.