Ubisoft Says Gamers Are "Starving" for Next-Gen

[Cognimancer]

Ubisoft Says Gamers Are "Starving" for Next-Gen

After eight years with this generation, Ubisoft bets gamers are hungry for more.

The Wii U is already in homes, the PlayStation 4 is on the horizon, and the successor to the Xbox 360 is almost certainly going to be announced in a mere five days [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123136-Report-Microsoft-Details-Next-Xbox-In-May]: the next generation is upon us. The anticipation levels for the upcoming batch of consoles have been mixed - many developers and consumers alike are eager for the power that the new systems will bring, while others are concerned that the industry doesn't need to push out new consoles just for new consoles' sake. Publishing titan Ubisoft is firmly in the first camp, claiming that the above-average lifespan of the current console generation has left hardcore gamers "starving" for new platforms to throw their money at.

CEO Yves Guillemot believes that Sony and Microsoft's new platforms will tap into the current demand for limitless expression. "We live in a world of self-expression," he says. "Customization, or curating, is a huge growth area across all services and that holds true for games. People want to play in their own way, they want to define their own experience and they want to share the way they're playing."

Ubisoft sees a lot of opportunity in the new console generation, particularly in the rise of social connectivity among gamers. The idea is that more players being more connected will lead to a higher average revenue per user. Many gamers have been less than optimistic about the trend of social features, but Ubisoft's newly revealed marketshare figures seem to indicate that the publisher knows what it's doing. Ubisoft is currently the third largest games publisher with a marketshare of 11.2 percent, coming in behind Activision Blizzard (19.5 percent) and EA (18.4 percent). Nintendo is close behind with a marketshare of 10.8 percent.

There's still plenty of details we don't yet know about the next generation of consoles - heck, Microsoft still hasn't let out any official details about the next Xbox, and some of the fears about Sony's social integration ideas have cooled down with the announcement that the PS4 won't need to be always online [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123832-PS4-Will-Not-Need-To-Be-Always-Online]. We'll find out how hungry the gaming masses are when the new consoles hit shelves.

Source: Gamespot [http://www.gamespot.com/news/ubisoft-core-gamers-starving-for-next-gen-6408441]

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[Ukomba]

I'm SO Starving for it that... I think I'm going to skip this new generation entirely.

 

[Gregory Wollf]

As a life long gamer I would have to disagree, I am tired of console upgrades, not hungry for more. I am satisfied with my XBOX 360 and don't really see the point of an upgrade at this point. I play my classic gems like Arkham City, Dishonored, Mass Effect or any of the modern shooters and I am content; I don't think to myself "oh, if only the graphics were better" or "I really wish my console could interact with Facebook," or "won't the next generation of consoles by so much more awesome." I don't know what demographic UBI is basing there predictions, but I know that I am not part of it. Maybe if I had no responsibility, no ambition, an unbridled addiction to consumerism and a large disposable income then I might be more excited. (So if I were a teenager?) There comes a point where graphics and processor power are adequate and I think this generation of consoles either achieved this or came close. I hope that this 'next gen' is the last and producers can start focusing on making great games instead of tech demos.

 

[Johnson McGee]

Yes, all this money is just spilling out of my wallet and I don't know what to do with it. I need more things to gather dust by my TV. It's not like I can survive with only my steam library of over 100 games I haven't yet played. I need all the ugly old man faces rendered in SUPER DUPER HD!

Seriously though, I know a lot of people are in a similar situation to me in that jobs and responsibilities make a new console purchase somewhat pointless but maybe there are enough graphics hungry youngin's that want a new generation, I don't know. It seems like the only thing announced about this generation that isn't a dumb social media gimmick or rumours about DRM has been the PS4's RAM upgrade so I'm not very enthused about the prospects. Right now I'm getting all my game needs out of my PC and a new graphics card is much cheaper than a new console or two.

If they can squeeze Watchdogs and The Last of Us out of this gen then it seems there's still a lot of life left in the current gen in the form of optimization (look at the difference between early PS1 and late PS1 or early and late PS2).

I'll probably be ready to buy PS4 around the time they release the slim version (assuming by then they haven't patched out reverse compatibility to the point that games released more than a year ago don't work).

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I was not aware I was even hungry. Oh crap! I MUST BE DEAD!!...No, wait, I still have a pulse. Whew.

Meh, I'm still happy with my PS3 and 360. As for the whole "People want to play in their own way, they want to define their own experience and they want to share the way they're playing," it sounds like the consoles are attempting to prevent exactly these things. Always online, no pre-owned, registering games to one console...of course, all those could turn out to be simply rumors, but if that's the case, Sony and Microsoft aren't doing themselves any favors by keeping silent on the issue.

And I'm still miffed that the PS4 won't play any of my old games. The new consoles are going to need a heck of a good launch line up for me to even begin looking at the menu.

 

[silverbullet1989]

ive been ready for it for the last 3-4 years as a pc player -_-
so sick of games pushed out to work on 8 year old hardware then ported to the pc... we've been able to do so much more for years but hardly any developer will take advantage of that

 

[Gormech]

I have a question. With the whole Public Relations department that all of these huge companies spend millions on. Does not one of them think "Hey, maybe we should actually ask and see what they do/do-not want before blowing a _explicit_ ton of cash into furthering an idea we came up with?"

Really. First thing they should do is to have people go out and read what all of their cash cows are moo-ing.

 

[Mr. Omega]

I was kinda. Then I got a WiiU. I'm a little starved for content on it, but between the various indie games coming out for it and Nintendo's own titles coming out by the fall, I think the current gen will do more than enough to hold me over. Got enough of a backlog to get through.

 

[Shinsei-J]

...I'm just hungry for new games, and that gets satisfied every so often anyway.
And I'm just hungry...

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I'm not hungry for the next generation, in fact I've spend most of this one pinning for the days of the last one. Mostly because that was the last time it seemed that Publishers, Developers and the Industry in general had a soul. Apparently I'm in the minority though so that doesn't seem to be worth much.

 

[Johnson McGee]

I have a question. With the whole Public Relations department that all of these huge companies spend millions on. Does not one of them think "Hey, maybe we should actually ask and see what they do/do-not want before blowing a _explicit_ ton of cash into furthering an idea we came up with?"

Really. First thing they should do is to have people go out and read what all of their cash cows are moo-ing.

Well, they do hire media firms but those firms seem to be entrenched in the belief that all gamers are still boob-obsessed pubescent males (e.g. Remember Me's publisher woes due to a female protagonist) so it doesn't surprise me at all if they cherry-picked this finding from a similar shortsightedness.

(capcha: lunchtime)

 

[Harker067]

Really what consoles need isn't more power but making it easier and cheaper to develop games. If the next consoles can do that great if not its only going to end badly. While power is nice what is needed is the tools to make interesting games possible not more power just for the sake of doubling the cost of AAA development.

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

No, Ubisoft. You continue to completely get the opposite message from me.

PC gaming is good!

Ubisoft: PC GAMING IS THE DEVIL! IT PIRATES ALL OUR GAMEZ

I don't want to have to pay lots of money for new hardware.

Ubisoft: BRING ONZ THE NEEW CONZOLES!

I don't care about graphics!

Ubisoft: LOOK AT ALLL OUR SHINEEEY GRAPHICS!

That's it, you've annoyed me far too much. I'm done buying your games.

Ubisoft: RAYMAN ORIGINS GETS A SEQUEL! WATCH-DOUGZ!

Okay, fine, maybe I'll get Legends... It's a compelling argument for the Wii-U...-

Ubisoft: RAYMAN LEGENDZ FOR EVERYTHING!

Why do I even ****ing try at this point?

Ubisoft: SOOOO MANY PRE-ORDRE BONUZEZS!

 

[AgentLampshade]

I'm starving for last generation. This one was pretty poor, and I'm not liking where the next one is heading.

 

[Vivi22]

Hey, Ubisoft already makes up whatever bull they want to justify everything they do so why stop now?

 

[cidbahamut]

I'm SO Starving for it that... I think I'm going to skip this new generation entirely.

Pretty much this.

I think I'm going to be riding out another generation on my PC. The console market keeps making itself unnecessarily complex with no appreciable gains to show for it, at least not for me personally.

The upcoming crop of consoles doesn't look to be much better either.

Nintendo is still flailing wildly and alienating me with its gimmicky hardware.

Sony is sacking backwards compatibility, or just compatibility in general while simultaneously developing some sort of social media fetish.

Microsoft is rumored to be gunning for always-online nonsense, and even if that turns out to be false their controllers just never felt right in my hands.

All of it is compounded by the trend of multi-platform releases, which means there will be plenty of games to pick from on the PC even if I skip consoles entirely.

I don't want to be a PC-only gamer, but I feel like that's where the market is currently pushing me. I'm not happy about that.

 

[Colt47]

No, Ubisoft. You continue to completely get the opposite message from me.

PC gaming is good!

Ubisoft: PC GAMING IS THE DEVIL! IT PIRATES ALL OUR GAMEZ

I don't want to have to pay lots of money for new hardware.

Ubisoft: BRING ONZ THE NEEW CONZOLES!

I don't care about graphics!

Ubisoft: LOOK AT ALLL OUR SHINEEEY GRAPHICS!

That's it, you've annoyed me far too much. I'm done buying your games.

Ubisoft: RAYMAN ORIGINS GETS A SEQUEL! WATCH-DOUGZ!

Okay, fine, maybe I'll get Legends... It's a compelling argument for the Wii-U...-

Ubisoft: RAYMAN LEGENDZ FOR EVERYTHING!

Why do I even ****ing try at this point?

Ubisoft: SOOOO MANY PRE-ORDRE BONUZEZS!

Preaching to the choir. I've been complaining about the fact I have to have a digital store front from every publisher running on my PC for the last two to three years, and steam for even longer. Not to mention blizzard wants always online for every game they make.

 

[DarksideFlame]

all those could turn out to be simply rumors, but if that's the case, Sony and Microsoft aren't doing themselves any favors by keeping silent on the issue.

Sony has recently confirmed that the PS4 will not be always online so they were not silent about it, as for Microsoft there was that internal memo a while back saying it would not be always online which means it's a good chance the nextbox won't be either though we'll find out for sure at the reveal that's coming up soon.

Plus, more powerful consoles doesn't just mean better graphics but they won't have to skimp as much (Since many PC's are a lot more powerful than the new PS4 already) on content so the old hardware on the PS3 and Xbox could handle it and the PS3 is supposedly going to be a lot easier to develop games for which would give devs more time to make content and not wrangle with technical issues.