Ubisoft CEO Says Company Will Work to Extend Diversity

[Buckshaft]

Right. Relax your cacks.

This is probably the best thing they could have said, given the circumstances, and it pisses off both the people who are for and against it. One side would rather they just tell everyone complaining to piss off, the other would have them fall on their knees and beg for forgiveness.

Fact of the matter is, a promise like this is a very positive thing. Sure, they could break it. But people remember, it would come back and bite them in the arse. After royally ballsing up Watch Dogs, which they spent approximately eleventy bajillion dollars on and staked their future on it, I don't think they can afford another screw-up. Everyone at management will be treading very lightly so as not to step on any toes. So, do I think they'll make good on their promises? In some form or another, yeah, and that's not bad.

Of course it's easy to squeal "BLAH BLAH BLAH CORPORATE GREED WE CAN'T TRUST THEM" But the fact is that there's real pressure on them to improve, the fact that they went ahead and released a statement speaks volumes to that effect.

I for one, welcome the push for diversity. I don't think it should be so untrusting or suspicious (Like people here not believing what Ubi are saying) Franchises like Assassin's Creed or Tom Clancy will go on regardless, but changes are welcomed. The more people represented in games, the more people can enjoy them. Hell, I'd love to see an AC game based on the history of my country.

So, is this a sign of good things to come? Could be. But it's a sign nonetheless and nothing ever gets achieved without hope.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

see Guillemot, now was that so hard? I mean, at the very least you should learn how to do PR properly. Sure, ya might not mean it but at least you don't come off as being a petulant child. For now.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Well I certainly won't complain if you start "extending diversity" with Beyond Good and Evil 2, Ubi *hint hint*.

Hey yeah. Didn't Ubi say they weren't making any games unless they could make them into franchises?

Well why the hell aren't they making Beyond Good and Evil 2 yet?!

They're just dumb, aren't they?

 

[Novaova]

After reading that, it seems to me that Ubisoft are in the horrible position of not knowing how to do something, being called out for not knowing how to do it, and being too stupid to realize that they don't know how to do it. So in their hubris* they just start making up a bunch of nonsense about how they'll try harder in the future, just you see.

It's depressing and pitiful.

(* Or in the throes of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.)


CAPCHA: "curry favour," oh you have no idea.

 

[Random Argument Man]

I think it's safe to say that the gaming community's response to this is?.."Well duh".

Wouldn't it be a twist that one of those white dudes with a beard is actually a women with a beard? It would never happen, but I'd love to see it.

 

[white_wolf]

Props for Ubi coming out and saying they'll try to diversify the only question is by how? Do you mean more women specifically? Are you going to try and kill 2 birds by having a woman and her be a ethnic one? Is this only confined to the Watch Dogs title? Will this only cover MP or will it be launched into SP heros? But minus that tiny bit extra on the how will they diversify its a start ubi now needs to fallow through and not drop the ball for any reason for the next several games.

 

[Something Amyss]

Ah, the non-specific assurance of change... The get-out-of-jail-free card for any developer.

It really does come off as "change we hope you believe in."

But hey, maybe they'll do something to actually address the feedback.

Your requests are not reasonable, because you aren't customers, posting as customers that you feel more character diversity is in order. You are non customers, claiming you will continue to be non customers, until diversity is met.

[citation needed]

 

[Something Amyss]

It's kind of amazing companies have to be TOLD to not be bad writers and lazy designers.

Not so amazing, considering how long they've been told otherwise.

 

[CrazyBlaze]

Last week when the multiplayer options for Assassin's Creed: Unity were revealed to be four extremely similar variations of a white, male assassin, critics asked why Ubisoft had decided to omit female character options from multiplayer. Ubisoft creative leads said they had excluded making female characters playable because it would take too many resources to do so.

You know whats funny. The fact that there is no option for co op. It is actually the same person for co op. The character you play in SP is the one you play in co op. Your character's skills, clothes, weapons, everything. That is why they all look the same. Get your facts right Escapist. I mean this is the fourth time (at least) that one of the members of your staff failed to realize. It makes you look bad when no one decides to check anything.

The skills and unique gear you acquire in solo missions will be accessible in co-op and define your unique Assassin?s style, whether you emphasize brute force, agility or stealth.

Right from their website. I mean it doesn't get any easier than that. Pull your shit together.

 

[StriderShinryu]

"We knew it would be polarizing," Guillemot said in regard to Watch Dogs. "Some people loved the characters and some didn't. It was difficult to please everybody with that character. Now, having seen the reaction, we know what we will do next to improve that."

Yeah, I don't know about that. I honestly don't think there was anyone that actually liked Aiden. Even the more positive opinions on Watch Dogs point out Aiden as a (maybe even THE) glaring weakness in the game.

The part of this that I really just don't personally get is that it's not like Ubisoft hasn't done females before. It's previous AC multiplayer modes had female character options and they even built an entire AC game around not only a female protagonist but a mixed race female protagonist before.

 

[white_wolf]

I think it's safe to say that the gaming community's response to this is?.."Well duh".

Wouldn't it be a twist that one of those white dudes with a beard is actually a women with a beard? It would never happen, but I'd love to see it.

There is the great bearded she elf in the Witcher 2....however you can actually pull that off (appearance wise) a woman disguising as a man used a beard during the civil war exclusively (don't ask me how much glue she used or what it was made out of) she made captain and went unnoticed for 4 years.

 

[Gerishnakov]

Is it worth pointing out that the protagonist in AC Liberation was a woman? Not only a woman, but a woman of mixed race?

I'm not saying that excuses the lack of a single female protagonist in AC Unity, but it's not like Ubisoft has never had a female protagonist.

 

[Something Amyss]

Over ten people in over 3 different topics on this particular problem who are adamantly against the "lack of diversity" made claimss they would never give them a dime again. Look at them. I won't cite them all for your petty arguement.

You're telling me to look at things in expansive threads that you yourself will not demonstrate. And you really don't see a flaw in that?

Further, ten people? In threads with hundreds of responses, you've found ten whole people? Okay, so what?

I also notice you said "again." So they're people who have been customers, who will no longer be customers if their specific desires aren't met? That's....kind of how you do things. Continuing to buy a series no matter what offers no motivation for change. And pardon me if that's not what they're saying, but since you won't actually back up your claims I have only your wording on the matter. And that's what it looks like, the way you've worded it.

As for Nintendo, they have your money. They know they will continue to have your money. What motivation do they have to change their games for you? Can we breed legendaries yet, something fans have been asking for since the inception of the breeding system?

 

[Something Amyss]

Is it worth pointing out that the protagonist in AC Liberation was a woman? Not only a woman, but a woman of mixed race?

I'm not saying that excuses the lack of a single female protagonist in AC Unity, but it's not like Ubisoft has never had a female protagonist.

Has anyone ever claimed they never made a female protagonist? If not, why would it be worth pointing it out?

 

[Voulan]

It's kind of amazing companies have to be TOLD to not be bad writers and lazy designers.

That's ultimately what this is, far less a gender politics thing and far more just studios like Ubisoft being depressingly limited in their creative new ideas, especially concerning characters.

I'm really glad you mentioned this. I can't believe we have people in this thread complaining about the "impending doom" that soon games won't feature the same bland characters over and over again. One post even used the word "entitled" and said "your requests aren't reasonable." It is mindboggling that some people consider a demand for diversity - and to even include the other 50% of the population, for gods sake - a path towards somehow ruining games. I can't even fathom how that's possible. Perhaps one day we'll get past the "but I'm the bigger market so shut up and deal with it" response, but apparently that won't be any time soon!

While Ubisoft isn't the worst example of the bunch, their response and our response will hopefully be a warning to other developers to stop lazy designs. There's a difference between ticking the diversity box and putting in the effort to make truly unique games and characters.

 

[Olas]

We're already calling Unity's protagonist "bland" just because he's a white male.
You know, some would call that both racist and sexist.

Agreed. I'd be more interested in the personality of the characters than their race/gender, that's if I cared about Assassin's Creed at all anymore.

Also, considering this is set in 18th century France, I don't really understand why people are bringing up the fact that they're white.

 

[EvilRoy]

Well I certainly won't complain if you start "extending diversity" with Beyond Good and Evil 2, Ubi *hint hint*.

Hey yeah. Didn't Ubi say they weren't making any games unless they could make them into franchises?

Well why the hell aren't they making Beyond Good and Evil 2 yet?!

They're just dumb, aren't they?

Because it flopped like a soggy pancake, basically. Expanding diversity is all well and good, but it doesn't mean they should pursue things they think will be commercial failures.

Edit: Actually according to something I just read, they actually are making it - it just got pushed back so they could finish Rayman Origins. Although having now looked up Rayman Origins, it having been released in 2011 tells me that perhaps it was pushed back just in general.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Well I certainly won't complain if you start "extending diversity" with Beyond Good and Evil 2, Ubi *hint hint*.

Hey yeah. Didn't Ubi say they weren't making any games unless they could make them into franchises?

Well why the hell aren't they making Beyond Good and Evil 2 yet?!

They're just dumb, aren't they?

Because it flopped like a soggy pancake, basically. Expanding diversity is all well and good, but it doesn't mean they should pursue things they think will be commercial failures.

Edit: Actually according to something I just read, they actually are making it - it just got pushed back so they could finish Rayman Origins. Although having now looked up Rayman Origins, it having been released in 2011 tells me that perhaps it was pushed back just in general.

Sorry to bug you for this, but do you have a source I could look at for Beyond's sales? I tried to find it myself, but all I could find was this.
http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/374242-Total-sales-figures-Forums

Says it made (I think, the text seems a bit messed up) $6,712,367 on GCN, and about $36 million on PS2.

Going with it being a sales failure though, why would they then start to develop it's sequel?
<.< And apparently are sill developing it.
If they really are. It kind of sounds like they aren't anymore.

 

[JET1971]

Ubi could have gave an option to choose a female character for the COOP and not spend any time creating it besides mixing and matching assets used for female NPC's. Face/head from one and hair from another and you have a new female 3d model that can be used. Her combat animation might be more on the manly side but that's about it for what wouldn't need allot of development to make the character. it would be the outfit that would take the most time and that is just modifying the existing male outfits in 3ds Max and a couple days worth of work. I know modifying a male outfit into a female isn't some huge task and only takes a couple days because I did it with a Skyrim outfit myself and I am not professionally trained in working with 3DS Max and had user created tools to get it in the game unlike an employee at the studio who can export directly from Max and have it game ready in minutes. They could do that right now and have it ready for release and not come close to breaking the budget or pushing back any deadlines.

In the future they can have the female that did the mocap work for female NPC's animation do a few more for combat animations and specifically design a couple outfits for the character to have that is different than the males. It is not some huge amount of effort to create the assets and no more work than creating generic female NPC wandering about town #10. It is also no more effort than making generic male #2 through 4 for character selection in MP/COOP mode. Anyone saying it would break the bank or be too hard to do doesn't know a thing about making 3d models for games.

What Ubi is guilty of is not believing females play AC so created only male playable characters for the COOP mode and now maybe they know that females do infact play AC and that they are tired of being ignored. Maybe in the future they may add more female protagonists but at least they will know to add a female choice for any multiplayer in the future. Maybe just maybe give players the choice at the very beginning... Now wouldn't that be something.

 

[EvilRoy]

Well I certainly won't complain if you start "extending diversity" with Beyond Good and Evil 2, Ubi *hint hint*.

Hey yeah. Didn't Ubi say they weren't making any games unless they could make them into franchises?

Well why the hell aren't they making Beyond Good and Evil 2 yet?!

They're just dumb, aren't they?

Because it flopped like a soggy pancake, basically. Expanding diversity is all well and good, but it doesn't mean they should pursue things they think will be commercial failures.

Edit: Actually according to something I just read, they actually are making it - it just got pushed back so they could finish Rayman Origins. Although having now looked up Rayman Origins, it having been released in 2011 tells me that perhaps it was pushed back just in general.

Sorry to bug you for this, but do you have a source I could look at for Beyond's sales? I tried to find it myself, but all I could find was this.
http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/374242-Total-sales-figures-Forums

Says it made (I think, the text seems a bit messed up) $6,712,367 on GCN, and about $36 million on PS2.

Going with it being a sales failure though, why would they then start to develop it's sequel?
<.< And apparently are sill developing it.
If they really are. It kind of sounds like they aren't anymore.

Got my stuff off of "Ubi Uncensored: The History of Ubisoft" which I had read many a moon ago, and wikipedia. No precise sales numbers, but the dudes who made it, and apparently many retailers viewed it as a flop.

Re-reading Uncensored I have a feeling that they really didn't blame the quality of the game for the poor sales and weak interest, so they were ready to give it a second shot to one extent or another - but for whatever reason it ended up getting pushed aside.