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Ubisoft execs take the Ice Bucket Challenge as Rabbid looks on
No one is immune to memetic charity, which is why Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot and Ubisoft EMEA executive director Alain Corre are seen below the break enduring a frigid deluge in front of Notre Dame cathedral. Guillemot and Corre are taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a stunt in which the notable (and not so notable) video themselves having ice water dumped over their heads and/or donate money to the ALS Association, a non-profit dedicated to battling Lou Gehrig's Disease. Since this is an Ubisoft production, however, the two executives tapped some of the publisher's most famous characters to join in the footage, including Watch Dogs lead Aiden Pierce and Assassin's Creed: Unity protagonist Arno Dorian. And of course, there's the Rabbid who is doing an admirable job of behaving, despite his species' tendency toward chaotic, madcap hijinks. In keeping with tradition, Guillemot and Corre have nominated three others to film their own Ice Bucket Challenge videos: Sony Computer Entertainment president and Group CEO Andrew House, Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison and legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. [Image: Ubisoft]
Ubisoft continues shift away from Wii U, Watch Dogs still coming
Making a rational business decision, Ubisoft is stepping back from whatever Wii U development it had going. With the rapid adoption of next-gen consoles and declining percentages in its portfolio of Wii U sales, neither Assassin's Creed game is scheduled for this holiday on Wii U. "What we see is that Nintendo customers don't buy Assassin's Creed. Last year, we sold in very small numbers," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told Game Informer. Nintendo consoles declined from 20 percent to 14 percent of the company's portfolio over the past fiscal year.
Ubisoft: Completed Wii U game shelved, waiting on install base
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed Ubisoft has a completed Wii U game that has been on hold until the publisher believes the console's install base is satisfactory. "We have a game that has been done for six months. It's on the shelf, waiting for more families to have the console," Guillemot told Polygon. The publisher's latest major title, Watch Dogs, is slated to launch in November on Wii U after recently arriving on a handful of other systems. "We still have another game that we are waiting for the machine to become more popular before launch," Guillemot added in a conversation with IGN. "It's more addressed at families, and it's not yet there. We are waiting for that machine to be more distributed so that we can increase the number of games." Ubisoft previously admitted that lackluster Wii U sales drove the delay of Rayman Legends on the system. [Image: Ubisoft]
The Division delayed to 2015
Remember that rumor where an Ubisoft employee used the word "laughable" to describe the 2014 launch window for The Division? As it turns out, it was pretty much spot on. "As you have noticed, The Division is not included into our full-year guidance," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during today's financial call. "It will now be released in calendar 2015. We will provide more information on this highly anticipated new brand at E3."
Far Cry 3 sales top nine million units to date
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed today that the publisher's open-world first-person shooter Far Cry 3 has sold more than 9 million copies since its multiplatform launch in 2012. "Far Cry 3 has now sold 9 million units since its release in December 2012, which bodes very well for the launch of Far Cry 4 later this year," Guillemot said during the company's end-of-year earnings call today. Far Cry 3 had shipped and digitally sold six million units as of May last year. Guillemot noted that the Far Cry series collectively sold almost 3 million additional units during the last fiscal year, making it one of Ubisoft's biggest-selling franchises. [Image: Ubisoft]
Rayman Legends jumping to next-gen consoles in February
During today's first half of fiscal 2014 earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot noted that Rayman Legends will launch on Xbox One and PS4 in February 2014. It was revealed during the call that the game has sold "right around one million units" across all of the platforms it is available on, that being PC, Vita, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U. The game's sales contributed to a gross profit of €202.2 million ($271.5 million) for the half-year. The news follows Ubisoft's adjusted forecasts for sales following its decision to delay The Crew to Q2 of fiscal 2015 and Watch Dogs to spring 2014, after which the publisher's shares dropped 25 percent. Rayman Legends and Splinter Cell: Blacklist were listed as two games that underperformed in their initial sales by Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez following the aforementioned delays, and today's earnings call noted that Splinter Cell: Blacklist has sold "close to two million units."
Ubisoft delays The Crew's launch window
I can't wait to play Ubisoft's open-world racing MMO called The Crew. Unfortunately, it looks as if I'll be waiting longer than I first thought now that the firm has delayed the title's launch to sometime during fiscal year 2014 to 2015 (that's April 2014 to March 2015 if your business-speak is rusty). The Crew, which was announced earlier this year at E3, was originally scheduled for an early 2014 launch. "Our long term goal is to win the next generation," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained. "The tough decisions we are taking today to fully realize the major potential of our new creations have an impact on our short-term performance. We are convinced that, longer term, they will prove to be the right decisions both in terms of satisfaction for our fans and in terms of value creation for our shareholders. We are building franchises that will become perennial pillars of UbiSoft's financial performance."
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon sales break 1 million, boxed copy a possibility
More than a million gamers have fired their neon lasers at neon soldiers and neon reptiles (which also shoot neon lasers) in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told Game Informer that the "mini-AAA" game has sold more than 1 million units to date, and that developing and publishing games like Blood Dragon and Call of Juarez: Gunslinger will be a continued business model for the company going forward. Guillemot also teased that future sales of Blood Dragon may not be limited to digital copies. Although Guillemot didn't specify when or how likely the scenario was, he suggested that, "maybe we'll go retail at one point so we'll be able to achieve a bit more." You just can't keep a good cyber-commando down.
Tom Clancy's The Division due in late 2014
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot dropped the tiniest tidbit of information in regard to the studio's upcoming open-world, shooty title The Division during a call with investors this morning. According to Guillemot, the game should land on Xbox One and PS4 sometime near the end of 2014. No specific date was given, though Guillemot did note that players should expect the game to land "closer to the end of the year than the beginning." The Division is a persistent-world online tactical shooter that combines elements of MMOs, RPGs, and the normal Tom Clancy-type stuff we've all come to know and expect. Check out the E3 gameplay reveal after the break to see it in action.
Ubisoft to 'release open-world on a regular basis'
During Ubisoft's annual investor's call, CEO Yves Guillemot talked about the future of the company and how Ubisoft needs to "release open-world on a regular basis." Guillemot elaborated that at Ubisoft, "we have put to the market nine open-world games over the last seven years, including two in 2013. This is by far an unmatched performance. Through those years, we have developed technologies, we have grown the experience of our teams, we have put in place pre-sized processes to ensure efficient collaboration between multiple studios working simultaneously on the same massive maps. This gives us a unique opportunity in the industry to bring open-world on a regular basis." Guillemot went on to talk about the five "online and social breakthroughs" that each Ubisoft game will need to hit in order to ensure players spend more time in-game. "Those breakthroughs are systemic gameplay, co-op and social, low barriers to entry, user-generated content and personalized experience through analytics." Examples given by Guillemot include Watch Dogs' and The Division's solo, co-op and multiplayer experiences that will hopefully increase the amount of time a player spends with the game and entice players who may otherwise ignore any of these traditional modes. Guillemot also mentioned that two of Ubisoft's upcoming open-world games, Assassin's Creed 4 and Watch Dogs, are among the five most pre-ordered games on PS4 and Xbox One.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon hits 500K in sales
Ubisoft's standalone and neon-loving throwback, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, has surpassed 500,000 total units sold on XBLA, PSN and PC, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told GamesIndustry International. While Guillemot neglected to break down how Blood Dragon's sales were spread by platform, he did specifically call out boosted Far Cry 3 sales on PC as a result of Blood Dragon's favorable reception. Blood Dragon's critical and commercial success as a companion product is something that Ubisoft will investigate, Guillemot said, so it's possible that Ubisoft may try and use this formula again in the future. Watch Dogs: Pound Puppies, yes?
Desilets' 1666 'suspended' by Ubisoft following firing
The creative director on Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed 2, Patrice Desilets, was fired by Ubisoft last week and now 1666 is also on the outs. Desilets began working on 1666 at THQ, which Ubisoft acquired as part of the THQ asset auction earlier this year. "After more than two months of discussions with [Patrice], we couldn't align our vision both on the project development and the team management," said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot during the company's year-end financial call today. "So, consequently, our collaboration has ended, and we have suspended 1666 for an undisclosed period of time." Desilets took a job at THQ and began work on 1666 after his Ubisoft non-compete expired in 2011. [Image: Alexey L via Shutterstock]
Beyond Good & Evil 2 put on the back burner to let Rayman boil over
It's time for the yearly confirmation that, yes, Ubisoft is still working on Beyond Good & Evil 2. The sequel first surfaced in 2008, and since then Ubisoft has treated it like an obnoxious stepchild, providing vague updates on development, and usually only when a rumor forces a statement.Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tells Polygon that the team, headed by Michel Ancel, is still passionate about Beyond Good & Evil 2, but other games, such as Rayman Legends, have slowed its development."What's very important is that Michel Ancel is kind of doing too many things at the same time," Guillemot says. "He was working on Rayman Origins last year, and he's working a lot on Rayman Legends this year. So, you know, when he does that, he kind of puts too much of his time on the other projects that he has. So the fact is that working on Legends is slowing the process on Beyond Good & Evil 2."Rayman Legends was recently delayed to Q1 2013 on the Wii U. Perhaps once Legends launches, Ancel and Ubisoft will get to work, for real, on Beyond Good and & Evil 2. And maybe they'll even tell someone about it.
Ubisoft shows interest in THQ assets
Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot says his company is interested in THQ's assets. Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Guillemot said the North American company has good brands, and that his own company is "always interested in good brands." He declined to go any further, but confirmed it's something Ubisoft "can consider."THQ's struggles have surged in the wake of last week's blunt Q2 earnings call, with the company's stock decimated by half the day following. THQ's stock at the time of writing is $1.19 per share, compared to $3.02 on November 5.EA obtained UFC rights from THQ earlier this year in exchange for an "undisclosed cash payment." Given the desperate situation and Guillemot's forwardness, more assets may well move on in the near future.
Ubisoft wants full games on Wii U eShop 'as soon as it's possible'
Though no concrete plans have been outlined, Ubisoft's intention to join Nintendo's push towards more digitally available retail games on its new flagship console is now evident: "As soon as it's possible, we will do it," Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot told Polygon, speaking on whether his company had plans to sell full retail games as downloadable jams through Nintendo's eShop. No further information regarding pricing and availability was given, so whether this expansion into the eShop happens at launch, or later down the road, remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Ubisoft's games on the Wii U (regardless of purchase methodology) will eventually include UPlay integration, as its current-gen releases do. "Nintendo has been very open to us and allowed us to use our systems to communicate with our customers," Guillemot said. UPlay integration is expected sometime after launch.
Assassin's Creed 3 sells 3.5 million in first week
Assassin's Creed 3 has sold an estimated 3.5 million units, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced in the company's earnings release. Guillemot said these sales – specifying sell-through, meaning sales to consumers, not just to retailers – represent "a year-on-year increase of more than 100%."We're quite certain that is a comparison to Revelations' sales, and not to Assassin's Creed 3 a year ago. AC3 sales are up infinity percent over AC3 sales last year.
Ubisoft CEO claims 93-95% piracy rate on their PC products
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated the percentage of paying players for its PC retail products and its free-to-play content is approximately the same. Speaking to GamesIndustry at Gamescom, Guillemot noted that only about five to seven percent of freemium players buy into content, which he said is the same as its retail PC product because they have a "93-95 percent piracy rate."Guillemot also said that free-to-play games are normally cheaper to produce and distribute, since they use existing assets and avoid boxed distribution costs, but the product still needs to fit the audience."We also take content which we've developed in the past, graphics etc, and we can make cheaper games and improve them over time," he said. "What's very important is that we change the content and make it a better fit to the customer as time goes on."Ubisoft has become notorious for staggered releases between its console and PC launches, along with blatantly lying about the topic of PC delays – and let's not even discuss the draconian DRM headaches.
Guillemot: Ubisoft 'doesn't have a huge investment' in Wii U
At a recent investor call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that Ubisoft "doesn't have a huge investment" in the Wii U, the only next-gen console so far announced from any of the major competitors. Guillemot pointed out that most of the games Ubisoft is developing for the Wii U aren't new, but are ports of existing Xbox 360 or PS3 titles.Building Wii U ports cost Ubisoft just over $1.2 million, Guillemot said. Rayman Legends and ZombiU, Ubisoft's "original" Wii U titles, "are much smaller of cost" than developing major titles for the current generation."Because, as we've always said when there is such an innovation, the need is not to have big production value but to concentrate on the innovation," Guillemot said. "This is what we are trying on Rayman and ZombiU."Earlier today we mentioned Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot's thoughts on the current generation's lifespan, noting his opinion that a lack of new consoles stifles creativity. New consoles spur developers to create new IPs and "are important for the entire industry," Guillemot said.
Ubisoft CEO ready for new consoles
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot claims the relatively long lifespan of the current console generation has stifled creativity and made the industry risk-averse. "We have been penalized by the lack of new consoles on the market," Guillemot told Gamasutra. "I understand the manufacturers don't want them too often because it's expensive, but it's important for the entire industry to have new consoles because it helps creativity."New console launches make it easier for publishers to release new IP, Guillemot said. "Our customers are very open to new things. Our customers are reopening their minds -- and they are really going after what's best." In contrast, toward the end of an established console generation, "... they want new stuff, but they don't buy new stuff as much. They know their friends will play Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed so they go for that. So the end of a cycle is very difficult."Ubisoft's already got one new IP in mind for this year's Wii U: ZombiU, and one new game series based on established IP: Avengers: Battle for Earth. There are also lots of sequels, like Just Dance 4, Assassin's Creed 3 and Rayman Legends.
Ubisoft expects next-gen consoles to integrate 'item based model'
Ubisoft likely knows more about the next generation of consoles than we all do, thanks to working on games for them and stuff, and it sees them going in a social gaming-oriented direction. The company's earnings release features an outlook for the next year, in which Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot expects to see an increase of 25-61% in operating income.Beyond that, Guillemot expects growth due to two trends: first, "the forthcoming arrival of the next generation of consoles which will be increasingly connected and will strongly boost the market thanks to a new qualitative leap and the integration of social games benefits and the item based model," and free-to-play games.The "item based model" sounds like a trend bleeding over from free-to-play games, in which games are sold for free (or cheap) and microtransactions bring in revenue through the sale of in-game items. We have seen this outside of the free-to-play world in this generation, in the form of costume sales and the occasional weapon unlock; however, if Guillemot expects it to be a significant source of income on consoles, it's likely to be even more emphasized in the next generation.
