Ubisoft says “Nintendo customers don’t buy Assassin’s Creed”
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 103 Comments
Ubisoft is releasing two Assassin’s Creed games this year, but Wii U isn’t getting either of them. Wondering why this is the case?
While speaking with Game Informer at Gamescom last week, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained:
“It’s very simple. What we see is that Nintendo customers don’t buy Assassin’s Creed. Last year, we sold in very small numbers.”
Guillemot also spoke about Ubisoft’s shift in focus on Wii U:
More: Assassin's Creed, interview, top, Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot
Ubisoft says it’d be “stupid” to not put out a yearly Assassin’s Creed given fan interest
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 10 Comments
Since the first Assassin’s Creed, we’ve seen at least one new entry in the series released in some form or another. Wondering why that’s so?
Aside from the obvious reasons – such as the fact that it makes total financial sense for Ubisoft – the company’s vice president of creative Lionel Raynaud also says yearly Assassin’s Creed games are put out due to fan interest. “As long as this is true we would be very stupid to not satisfy this need”, Raynaud told EDGE.
His comments in full:
“We are able to offer people a new Assassin’s Creed every year because they want Assassin’s Creed every year. As long as this is true we would be very stupid to not satisfy this need, but it puts a lot of pressure on us to create something that will never disappoint.
It needs to keep the series core values and we need to really make sure that we have a good, high level understanding of what it is to be an Assassin. We have to make sure we always deliver a better feel and overall experience every time while still bringing something that they haven’t seen before that’s consistent with being an Assassin in the world we’ve created.”
More: Assassin's Creed, Lionel Raynaud, Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed V won’t be set in Japan
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
Ubisoft has thrown around Japan as one possible locale for Assassin’s Creed. However, don’t expect Assassin’s Creed V to take place in that setting.
Ubisoft Toronto executive Jade Raymond confirmed to Adweek that the upcoming title won’t be Japan-based. Additionally, Raymond teased that it will feature her favorite historical era. No additional details were provided.
Assassin’s Creed writer stresses focus on historical time periods, “present day stuff … not the point”
Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 5 Comments
Every Assassin’s Creed game has featured a particular historical time period– old Italy, the Caribbean, revolutionary America, etc– in addition to smaller present-day sections that serve as story tie-ins and lore-builders. Those present-day sections, however, really aren’t the point according to series writer Darby McDevitt:
– Assassin’s Creed series writer Darby McDevitt
McDevitt talks about a lot more regarding the series in a great interview with EDGE Online. Check it out if you have the time.
More: Assassin's Creed, Darby McDevitt
Feudal Japan is a possible setting for Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft says
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
Ubisoft is open to exploring a Feudal Japan setting for the Assassin’s Creed series, according to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag creative director Jean Guesdon.
In an interview with VG247, Guesdon said:
“Feudal Japan remains – like numerous other time periods and locations – a possible future setting for the franchise because thanks to the Animus. The entire human history is our playground.”
Feudal Japan is just one of a few locations Ubisoft seems to be interested in. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag director Ashraf Ismail mentioned in October how he’d like to explore Egypt.
More: Assassin's Creed, Jean Guesdon, Ubisoft
Ubisoft willing to delay an Assassin’s Creed game if it’s not of the highest quality
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments
Yearly Assassin’s Creed releases have been a regular thing now. That doesn’t mean Ubisoft would stick to the schedule if it’d mean sacrificing quality, however.
Ubisoft’s North American president Laurent Detoc told IGN that the publisher would hold back an Assassin’s Creed game if it doesn’t meet its expectations. Bringing out a “70 percent Assassin’s Creed game” would hurt the IP’s brand, Detoc said.
His comments in full:
More: Assassin's Creed, Laurent Detoc, Ubisoft
Ubisoft survey asks about Assassin’s Creed ideas, separate pirate series, multiplayer naval combat
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
Ubisoft has sent out a new Assassin’s Creed-related survey which may give some insight into what kind of ideas the publisher is considering for the franchise as well as a potential pirate spinoff.
One question asks of an original pirates title, “In such a game, what would be the most important elements among these below?” Customizable pirate character, ship, and hideout, a deeper economy, and additional activities at sea or on land are listed as choices. The survey also asks if participants would like to “sail and fight with my friends” and “sail and fight with other players.”
Specifically regarding Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft asks if players would be interested in seeing a new modern day hero and more high-level subjects, such as desired gameplay improvements and historical settings.
More: Assassin's Creed, top, Ubisoft
New Assassin’s Creed set in present day is unlikely, says AC4 writer
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has already visited plenty of time periods, locations, and settings. A new Assassin’s Creed game taking place in present day is unlikely, however.
Assassin’s Creed IV lead writer
more or less ruled out the possibility during a Reddit AMA he participated in earlier today. He said:
“I doubt we would do a modern day AC. There are just too many mechanics we would have to develop to make it believeable [sic] … vehicles, plausible modern cities, a huge array of ranged weapons, etc. The modern day will most likely remain as a “context” for all future games, something to tie them all together.”
More: Assassin's Creed, Darby McDevitt, Reddit AMA, top, Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Wii U footage
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
Ubisoft discusses mission ratings in Assassin’s Creed IV, reveals current favorite
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
In Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, players can rate each of the game’s missions. Users are given the option of handing out up to five stars.
Ubisoft Motreal user research project manager Jonathan Dankoff told NowGamer that the data provided will assist the company in improving future titles. He said:
“Ubisoft is actually using all of this data to improve future games. Ubisoft has been using data tracking to improve our titles for a while, but this is the first time we will be able to match gameplay metrics to player appreciation in order to dig even deeper into player behavior.
“The combination of the two data sources will give us incredible insight into how players are interacting with our game and guide future development teams to create missions that appeal to our players even more.”
Wondering which mission is Assassin’s Creed IV’s highest-rated thus far? Dankoff revealed:
“We’re still in the early stages of collecting data, but already at this stage it’s impressive to see how closely the mission ratings mirror the results from our own pre-launch playtest sessions. The current favorite mission decided by our fans is Sequence 02 Memory 06: The Treasure Fleet, but I look forward to seeing how the data evolves as more people play!”
