Ubisoft explains innovation poverty - "When someone wants to quit smoking"

[jomojomo95]

 

 

"We fight internally against it. It's definitely not our intention to always align the players on the same game experience. That would be boring. Finally, we are even players. (...) In every game we try dozens of great innovations. (...) But if it is difficult for the player to understand this, we are doing something wrong. It's like trying to stop smoking, as it lacks in doubt, not in the Spirit, but if you come under pressure, you start again. Unfortunately, it is the same in games development. Developers seek to try new things, to change the approach, but at the end of the day they haveto deliver a product that the players like in time. Once it is stressful, developers therefore reflect on mechanics, which they know that they work out there. "

 

http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/far-cry-4/news/ubisoft_erklaert_innovationsarmut,49167,3079708.html

[Guest]

Hence why Ubi have been trying so many new things in their major titles, they're not just reskins of the same 9 mission types, nopenopenope.

 

That's right, it's the gamer's fault that they haven't understood these new features which are definitely new and not old or recycled.  We just aren't clever enough.

 

And you know what - he's right, we aren't as a whole very smart.  That's why they have the industry over a barrel with day one on disc retailer exclusive dlc, inflated prices, reduced quality and content which as a majority we all buy.  Every year CoD will be #1, every year we'll buy the AssCreed flavour.  Another WoW expansion.  Without fail.

 

It will remain like this likely for years and years until Average Joe figures out how much they're being screwed out of a deal.  Best thing we can do is raise awareness and vote with out wallets.  Joe Average is slow.

[juretrn]

If it works, don't fix it!

If it sells, don't change it!

 

When the sales for COD 68 will be less than COD 67 , then the recipe might change.

[TheMcSame]

More excuses... 
 

[ImBleu]

[Ruostunut kokis]

Ubisoft tries so hard to do damage control, but they don't get that only very few people fall into those excuses. Ubisoft as a company has lost all of it's creditability.

[Lavachyste]

Oh my god Ubisoft, the shame of France

[Samfisher]

More excuses... 

 

 

Quoting for posterity.  Also easy access when I need to use it

[daemonowner]

I don't understand a word he said.

[mr moose]

Not that I don't trust the OP, but I can't read the article and there are bits missing from the translated quote.  I wouldn't mind knowing what these missing bits say before passing comment.

[mr moose]

I don't understand a word he said.

 

That's becasue the quote has been heavily redacted and translated from another language.  I dare say there is a lot more to this.

[asdfgh00]

please ubisoft... don't be the next EA.. there's still a little hope left.

[Guest]

It reads like he's excusing the industry and blaming both sides.

 

The article talks about how basically all of Ubisoft's major titles are the same missions and all ending in a collect-em-up.

 

From the sounds of the quote he is saying that all players are equal but they like it for people to experience things in their own way.

 

Developers are putting new things into their games all the time, but if this concept is not translated correctly on the player's side of things then they have failed.  And so it also becomes a risk/reward for new features.  Games that sell with the same 9 mission types sell billions.  The formulaic gameplay is explained here "not because Ubisoft have no innovative ideas, but because of time and economic Ubisoft squeeze pressure to put on established mechanisms. "

 

So publishers pressure devs to implement the same recycled content and assets, and then we have reports of console manufacturers having the final say on games like Watch_Doges.

 

"Later in the interview, Francois, of course, that economic considerations also determine how many innovations to get a part series, how much innovation a publisher can risk before too great a proportion of players jump off. "

 

Publishers only want to sell us the same game every year because more and more of us are buying it.  So basically, the devs don't have enough time, resources or money, and are pressured to release the same recycled shit because it sells better and costs less than innovation.  If this is the way you feel we should approach things in the world, please feel free to continue funding these console manufacturers and software publishers and kindly never speak to me again.

[That Norwegian Guy]

Ubisoft tries so hard to do damage control, but they don't get that only very few people fall into those excuses. Ubisoft as a company has lost all of it's creditability.

 

What's worse is that their idea of damage control is trying to come up with the most insulting excuses available.

[jomojomo95]

Not that I don't trust the OP, but I can't read the article and there are bits missing from the translated quote.  I wouldn't mind knowing what these missing bits say before passing comment.

 sorry I neither have the full interview

 I worked on the translation hopefully it is now understandable

[LAwLz]

I can't read the full interview but I don't see anything bad in OP's quote.

All he is saying is that when they can't think of something new they just go back to what they know works. Nothing wrong with that.

This is one of the best things Ubisoft have said in a long time. They are actually putting the blame on themselves if the game isn't "innovative" enough.

My problems with Ubisoft don't really have anything to do with the game play though.

[mr moose]

It does read a bit like they are just explaining how the corporate model constrains the product to what is financially viable, which isn't solely the fault of the dev, the publisher or the consumer but of the process as a whole.

[PopReference]

Why the what? Why is their a quitting smoking analogy involved, I can't really understand what's intended? Is 30fps and addiction now?(jk) Or is the guy really struggling and just can't stop talking about it.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Can we please just nuke France already?

 

[Pickle]

At the end of the day, Ubisoft, EA, Microsoft and Sony are all corporations. Their primary accountability is towards their shareholders. The bottom line goal of any company is to maximize the shareholder wealth. That is what they're doing. They will say and do whatever it takes to get their hands on as much money as possible, which means cutting costs in terms of production values, not willing to innovate because of the risk of failure, treat games as cash cows, recycling as much material as possible, segment their products to price discriminate their customers (in hopes of cashing in as much consumer surplus, which refers to the difference between the maximum price you are willing to pay and the price they are charging to increase demand, as possible). None of this is consumer friendly, because that's not their goal. No matter how much we like one company or another, when it grows big enough it will start exercising market power to maximize profits. All we can do is not buy their products to get them to change something, because the language that any executive understands is currency.

[flibberdipper]

[Tonylu1595]

You mean they get more money from Microsoft and Sony than from PC.

[Trik'Stari]

We dont want them to "deliver a product that players enjoy ON TIME". WE WANT A PRODUCT WE CAN ENJOY. PERIOD.

 

Stop making up bullshit excuses for not trying to do better, admit the consoles are shit hardware, and you did the best you could with what you had, it's as simple as that. 30fps at 900p isn't trying something new, it's going fucking backwards, end of story.

[SpaceCore]

I don't understand a word he said.

it's marketing/psychopath speak.

 

he's saying:

 

Hence why Ubi have been trying so many new things in their major titles, they're not just reskins of the same 9 mission types, nopenopenope.

 

That's right, it's the gamer's fault that they haven't understood these new features which are definitely new and not old or recycled.  We just aren't clever enough.

 

And you know what - he's right, we aren't as a whole very smart.  That's why they have the industry over a barrel with day one on disc retailer exclusive dlc, inflated prices, reduced quality and content which as a majority we all buy.  Every year CoD will be #1, every year we'll buy the AssCreed flavour.  Another WoW expansion.  Without fail.

 

It will remain like this likely for years and years until Average Joe figures out how much they're being screwed out of a deal.  Best thing we can do is raise awareness and vote with out wallets.  Joe Average is slow.