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EA, Ubisoft execs applaud PS3 price cut, also like things that are good
Well, this one doesn't exactly come out of left field, but it looks like gaming industry execs are starting to sing a decidedly different tune now that Sony has finally cut the price of the PS3. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Ubisoft bigwig Yves Guillemot said that "it's exceptional news, actually," adding that "I think the machine is a great machine, with the Blu-ray." EA Games president Frank Gibeau was also apparently more than happy to back up that praise, saying that, "I think it's awesome," and that "it's an old line, but it still rings true for us: 'We make the ammunition for the hardware wars.' So the lowest priced hardware possible is a good thing for us." Still noticeably mum on the matter, however, is Activision's CEO, who once threatened to pick up his ball and go home if Sony didn't drop its prices. [Via Joystiq]
EA, Ubisoft pleased as punch post-PS3 price plummet
As happy as you might have been to read about the PS3's price being slashed to $299 in the US, trust us: Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot and EA Games president Frank Gibeau were much, much happier. Not only will, theoretically, more systems fly off shelves but buyers will have a little extra cash in their pockets for the companies' games. "It's exceptional news, actually. I think the machine is a great machine, with the Blu-ray," said Guillemot, who was having kind of a rough day with English it would appear. Gibeau shared his enthusiasm, telling GamesIndustry.biz, "It's an old line, but it still rings true for us: 'We make the ammunition for the hardware wars.' So the lowest priced hardware possible is a good thing for us." Also, we never noticed how much Gibeau looks like Radar O'Reilly.
Ubisoft devising new tools to combat piracy on PC
According to statements made by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot in a recent investor call (via Shacknews), the publisher is looking to implement new anti-piracy tools within its PC releases. Though the platform isn't the only one beset by shady software shenanigans -- Guillemot highlighted the existence of piracy on every console, including DS, PS3 and Xbox 360 -- it is drawing the most internal ire. "All together, on home consoles, the piracy is low," he said. "But on the PC, the piracy increases quite a lot, and we are working on tools that will allow us to actually decrease tremendously the piracy on PC, starting next year in fact and probably one game at the end of this year." Will they also mark a tremendous decrease in consumer friendliness? We'll have to wait for that one game at the end of this year, and with Splinter Cell: Conviction out of the picture, Ubisoft's new measures will most likely debut in November with Assassin's Creed 2.Remember what that game's creative director, Patrice Désilets, told us about the 35 million people who played Assassin's Creed 1? "Not all the people bought it. They played it on PC."
Ubisoft and THQ CEOs on the declining (stable?) DS market, and piracy
The CEOs of two of the largest video game publishers appeared to share completely contradictory views on one issue: the declining (or stable?) DS software sales market. Arguing one side was Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, who blamed his company's poor Q1 showing in part on a declining DS software market. On the other side is Brian Farrel, CEO of THQ, who seemingly responded directly to Guillemot's accusation saying that "it's not a bad market."Guillemot claimed that piracy in Europe, particularly Spain, was in part to blame for the drop in DS sales. Farrell said, "I know there's been a lot of talk in Europe about piracy. We've been pleased with our DS, in particular, catalog sales. It's not a bad market." Both CEOs looked to the latest DS revision – the DSi – to ameliorate some of the piracy concerns. "For DSi, the piracy is a lot less than on the normal DS," Guillemot said. Farrell said, in keeping with his promising view of the DS market, "We think there's some growth coming with the DSi."While the PSP has certainly had its fair share of piracy over the years, Guillemot praised Sony's evolution of the machine. "The PSP has always been a machine with lots of piracy, so it's a machine we were not developing too much on because it was pirated. Now there are new ways to control the piracy so we have reinvested on the machine." That reinvestment has obviously come in the form of Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. "It'll be interesting to see how the PSP business continues with Sony's new entry," Farrell said, referring to the PSP go. "But we're not seeing any major trends in the handheld business between the DS, PSP, and even the iPhone that are affecting our overall outlook at this time."Ubisoft, for its part, is looking for other, unique ways to curb piracy on platforms like the DS. "We are working to put new figurines and new elements in the box that will change [the impact of piracy] in the future but in the short term it's effecting us," Guillemot said. It'll effect you a lot less if you bundle some of those adorable Rabbid figurines with every game you ship. Just sayin'. [image credit]
THQ and Ubisoft CEOs on console price cuts
With back to back conference calls this week by Ubisoft on Monday and THQ on Tuesday, we were treated to CEO-level insight into on some of the issues facing the gaming industry. Both Yves Guillemot from Ubisoft and Brian Farrell from THQ addressed the looming console price drops and we dutifully scribbled down every word. Both agreed it wasn't their place to confirm any price drops. "We can't comment because it would depend very much on how those guys sell their machines and how ... they can decrease the price of those machines," said Guillemot. "Obviously we'll let the hardware guys announce the magnitude and timing [of a price cut]," said Farrell. But just because they're not going to confirm a price drop doesn't mean they're not going to share their company's opinions on whether one is coming or not. "We think the battle between the three manufacturers will really be very fierce this year. All of them will really push hard to get this Christmas sale," Guillemot said in rough English. "They will act, we think." Farrell was a little more specific: "The fact that Nintendo Wii is still at its launch price and PlayStation 3 is still at a relatively high price point by historical standards ... just look at the hardware numbers and it would seem that a price cut would be in order by at least two of the three manufacturers." While Guillemot ended the price cuts discussion with hopeful remarks about the effect console price drops would have on his software business – "if the machines are going down in price, we can see a big increase of sales on all the machines" – Farrell was a little more direct stating, "Price cuts, again – they are factored into our guidance, our internal model. We do anticipate price cuts coming this Fall ... something on the higher end of the range certainly wouldn't surprise us."Well, with all this chatter, it wouldn't surprise us either, Brian. Drop your best estimates in the comments.
Ubi's 2010 lineup includes ... something about Assassin's Creed
During yesterday's Ubisoft conference call, when asked about next year's lineup – short of the delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction, Red Steel 2, and potential 2010 titles I Am Alive and Ghost Recon 4 – CEO Yves Guillemot was understandably vague. While we were, of course, on mute, Guillemot knows all too well that somewhere, on the other end of his telephone line, was the sound of hundreds of games writers breathing heavily and typing furiously. So he started simply. "We have a very good lineup for next year. We can't give you too much information on that now." Okay, Yves. It's a good lineup and you can't talk too much about it. You'll have to give us something more than that! "We have lots of products that are coming from the brands we own, so you will see lots of followups to the brands that are already established," he continued. "And we think that you will be able to see also some elements concerning the Assassin's Creed license." Wait, what now? Some "elements" and those elements are "concerning" the Assassin's Creed "license"? Wow, how's that for vague? With Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines and Assassin's Creed 2 hitting the PSP and Xbox 360/PS3, respectively, this fall we're not sure what sort of property he could be alluding to but we thought we'd share regardless. Why? Because, when they finally announce Ubi Racers at E3 2010 – the only kart racer with all your favorite Ubisoft charactes like Sam Fisher, Uncle Pey'J, and Assassin's Creed's Altair – you'll recall this post and remark at how all that mystery and all that obfuscation has suddenly come into clarity. [image source]
Ubisoft looks to the Wii, Project Natal for casual gaming future
While Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot singled out a nosedive in the DS market as a significant contributor to his company's poor Q1 performance, he didn't condemn the growing casual gaming space or his company's increasing reliance on it. Where the DS software market is falling – Guillemot pointed to Ubi's consistent market share in Europe, despite a drop in revenue – other casual opportunities are growing. "The DS is declining quickly, but the Wii is taking off quite fast," Guillemot said. "That's why the average margin remains around 20%." So, while DS software sales dipped, Wii software was there to make up the difference. So why did a drop in DS software sales hurt so bad in the last quarter? Guillemot says Ubi's summer Q2 "is a period where people are going for holidays and they buy lots of [DS] games and because this market is going down it has a big impact on the second quarter." With DS software sales flagging, Ubi's not without a plan to safeguard its lucrative casual franchises. Executive director of Ubisoft, Alain Corre, broke down the Wii's growth, saying, "This year we expect the Wii to represent over 40% of our sales on casual versus last year it was at 18%. So it's a big change for the Wii, and [the Wii] is contributing much more to our casual sales than the DS last year." So Ubisoft is looking to the Wii, and beyond, for the bulk of its casual gaming sales. "The casual business is changing rapidly and it will still be a very interesting business but we have to reinvent it this year," Guillemot expained. "We already have a big shift from DS to Wii this year, and we'll continue with the Wii and the Xbox 360 with the new 3D camera next year." Of course, we've been focused on how Project Natal will work with "our" games; however, here's the CEO of a major publisher talking about the Xbox 360 (not the PS3's motion camera though?) as another prong in its successful casual strategy.
Ubisoft's Guillemot explains Splinter Cell, Red Steel delays
Maybe this afternoon's news that Splinter Cell: Conviction – aka Badass: The Game – and Red Steel 2 were being delayed from later this year to the beginning of next year took you by surprise. Not us, Reader. We've become so desensitized to the pain of losing highly anticipated titles like Conviction to the vagaries of a tumultuous market that we can no longer tell delays from cancellations. We've got it bad. So, we tuned into Ubisoft's conference call this afternoon in the hopes of gleaning some new information from CEO Yves Guillemot. To our pleasure, Mr. Guillemot provided some details explaining why one of his company's already very delayed major releases would be delayed further. "Red Steel and Splinter Cell are going to greatly benefit from the additional polishing time we are providing and will clearly be among the leading brands on the Wii and 360 for the March quarter," Guillemot said. If you'll recall, Splinter Cell: Conviction had already missed its original 2007 release date. When asked why these two games were being delayed, Guillemot explained, "The changes on Splinter Cell and Red Steel – it's just a question of polish. The team was asking that they couldn't be with the level of quality on all the maps and all the game for the end of the year, so they had asked for more time to be able to come with a better product, for both of those games. The quality of the games is there for what you've been able to see at E3, but we were not able to have that same quality on the full game of those two products." Of course, in a conference call full of analysts and investors, the tiny matter of lost sales came up. Guillemot admitted that, for "those two products, it's around a million units" of lost sales in the first month. However, when faced with releasing subpar titles or losing a stronger opening month, Guillemot came down strongly in favor of the latter. "We really think with the level of quality that we'll be able to obtain with the time we give them we will have a long shelf life for those products," he explained. "Now, because [Conviction and Red Steel 2] are launching during that quarter, they will not do as many units for the first month as they would have done in November/December, but we think that on the long-term they can achieve more units than what they would've done." And it sounds like Ubisoft's patient partner for the still Xbox 360-exclusive Conviction – that would be Microsoft – doesn't mind waiting another couple months. Guillemot says, "We still have the full support of Microsoft because they know that if we can bring a very high-quality game this will help their machine. So we still have the full support from them." And if they deliver a quality game, they'll have the support of gamers as well. Your move, Ubi.
Ubisoft's net profit declined 37 percent in past fiscal year
It's time for another installment of "Sales Go Up, Profit Goes Down," the completely perplexing economic phenomenon that's been taking the gaming industry by storm as of late. Today's contestant is Ubisoft, who in April reported a 14 percent annual sales increase over the past fiscal year, from €928.3 million to €1.06 billion, yet recently revealed it had experienced a 37 percent (or €31 million) decrease in net profit during FY 2008.This might sound bad, but Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said during a recent investor conference call he was pleased his company could, "offer superior quality games, while maintaining a high level of profitability." Oh, let's not forget the company's projected €1.1 billion sales target for the next fiscal year. With the amount of stuff the developer is working on, figures that huge wouldn't surprise us.
Ubisoft boss thinks Apple will make new gaming hardware
The signs are so clear that Apple wants a bigger slice of the gaming pie, you probably don't need us offering our own cockamamie theories (iPhun!). But maybe Yves Guillemot will be enough to convince you. During an earnings call yesterday, the Ubisoft boss said "There's also a new entrant in the business. [That entrant is] Apple, with the iPhone. And we don't think they will stop there."Reading the rest of the context on Kotaku, it certainly sounds like Guillemot is thinking that Apple's working on new hardware. So, we've gotta ask: Do you have room in your heart for another box?
Ubisoft preparing for next console generation
During yesterday's financial results conference call, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot mentioned that his company had already begun preparing for the next set of consoles. Does this mean that Ubisoft has been shown the plans of the hardware developers? Probably not! It's preparing with money. "We need to get ready for the future generation of consoles," Guillemot told investors. "In the next few years, there will be new home and handheld consoles, and if you don't invest... you will not be able to cope with both [the existing and new generation consoles]."We can only imagine how difficult it must be for Ubisoft to predict how the next generation will look. Right now, judging by the current generation, the company doesn't know what kind of media games will be stored on, whether there will be any media, or even how many screens its handheld games will occupy. It doesn't know how many years into the PS3's "ten-year plan" Sony will introduce the PS4, and there's basically no predicting what Nintendo's next device will look like, nor whether it will be more appropriate to put Tom Clancy sequels or Petz sequels on it.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 to be bigger, better ... more badass?
Developer Michel Ancel allegedly told All-Gamers.fr that Beyond Good & Evil 2 would "be bigger, more immersive and include more investigations," directly challenging Cliffy B Young Clifford for the "Greatest Self-Promoter" award. In a video interview conducted last week, Ancel (again, allegedly -- all this stuff's in French!) talked about the current development process for BG&E2 (still in pre-production), the return of the first game's characters ("lots" will be returning), and the problems his development team had with the first game (PS2 "didn't live up to their expectations"). Confirming what we've heard before about the sequel, Ancel also apparently notes that the gameplay will be different this time around, as the team's looking for ways to distinguish it from the original. Though he didn't go into more detail (at least, as far as we know) regarding controls, we can't help but worry after what Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said last year. Interestingly, during the interview, the developer remained cagey regarding the possibility of a Wii version, though he apparently didn't deny the possibility of a port in the future. French-speaking Joystiq readers should feel free to confirm or deny Mr. Ancel's interview statements in the comment section below. %Gallery-23890% [Via Gamezine.co.uk. Thanks, Mr. V!]
Publishers push Sony for PS3 price cut
In one of the least surprising stories you're likely to read today, publishers seem to agree that their lives would be a lot better if Sony could knock a couple hundred bones off the price of the PS3. That's the word from Bloomberg today, who nabbed quotes from the likes of EA Sports' Peter Moore, who admitted, "Sony obviously still has a ways to go with their pricing," and Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot, who added, "Anytime a console manufacturer reduces the price, software publishers benefit."We'd love to make a snide comment here about EA and Ubisoft having nothing to lose from a PS3 price cut, but SCEA marketing boss Peter Dille beat us to it, commenting, "Everybody in the development community would love for the PS3 to be free, so they could just sell razor blades."We can empathize with both sides, but it does seem to us that Sony needs to do something big to get back in the game. What do you think?[Via CVG]
Ubisoft preparing for next console cycle, 'probably' coming by 2012
While prudent citizens consider the impending ramifications of global warming, an economic downturn and waning natural resources, Joystiq's eye remains fixed on the most important facet of the future: the video games. Well, that and the hope that medical science will grant us that second eye implant so people can stop calling us "cyclops" behind our backs. Yes, backs. The editorial "we" has left us hideously deformed.Thankfully, Ubisoft's vision of the future isn't mired in pathetic body image issues. After discussing his company's third quarter financial results in a conference call yesterday, Ubi CEO Yves Guillemot expressed a belief that the next generation of consoles would "probably" arrive by 2011 or 2012 (and Crytek seems to agree). According to GI.biz, Guillemot noted, "We have to be ready for that, we are already hiring people and buying some technology and looking at some brands as well."Guillemot reportedly expressed interest in mergers and acquisitions as well, saying, "We want to take advantage of a company that could bring more technology to us, or new brands." Okay, we think we've got this checklist for the future: More technology; new brands. And eye implants.
Guillemot accidentally confirms Red Steel 2
Ubisoft has stopped short of saying HEY GUYS RED STEEL 2 IS TOTALLY COMING, but we can be reasonably certain it's on the way.Previously, the game's producer has talked openly about the sequel to Ubisoft's Wii launch slash-a-thon, and now it seems Ubi CEO Yves Guillemots has really given the game away, with a careless slip of Gallic tongue.Speaking at a conference call earlier today, Guillemots announced that "We have lots of products coming for the Wii next [fiscal] year. We have Red Steel --," before halting himself mid-sentence and apologizing. Whoops! Call us wild rumor-mongers if you like, but it's safe to assume that the next word out of Guillemot's mouth would have been "2."%Gallery-42920%
Ubisoft hiring for 'new cross-platform music based game'
Ubisoft looks to be making good on Yves Guillemot's interest in joining the rhythm game genre. Following comments made by Ubi's chief exec last September regarding a pair of mysterious music-based games in the works, the company has posted a job opening seeking someone to "help guide the creation of an exciting new cross-platform music based game."Nothing else is known at this time, so feel free to speculate. Whatever the studio has up its sleeves, however, we sincerely hope there are peripherals involved. After all, what else are we to fill our living rooms with if not more fake plastic instruments?[Via superannuation]
Tom Clancy games to get more Wii love in the future
During an interview with GameDaily, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that the Wii would be getting more consideration in the future of the Tom Clancy series of games and "will appear at one point" on the Wii. The issue so far? Well, Ubisoft put time in on "engines that were created for the next-generation consoles" and had to "re-engineer a certain number of engines to be sure we could use the quality of the machine." Guillemot went on to say the company's attempt to create "good enough products [on Wii] or products better than Nintendo's" just "takes time." That's the reason why we haven't seen much love on the Wii, but he assures us that we will "see more and more in the future." Sounds good to us, so can we get noticed when you finally start talking about Splinter Cell again?
Ubisoft: Tom Clancy 'will appear' on Wii
Unless he was cryptically teasing the appearance of a special-edition Wii branded with the author's face, we think Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently suggested that the company's Tom Clancy franchise would be gracing the Wii in the future. "Tom Clancy will appear at one point," Guillemot told GameDaily in an interview. "We need to make sure they [look good]."An integral part of making them look good, of course, lies in Ubisoft's engine technology, which first needs to be adapted for Nintendo's odd-one-out hardware. "We have engines that were created for the next-generation consoles," explained the Ubi boss. "We had to re-engineer a certain number of engines to be sure we could use the quality of the machine. Even without the [high-end] graphics, the experience can still be very interesting." And there you have it. Tom Clancy's Very Interesting Experience Without The Graphics confirmed for release in, uh, "the future."
Ubisoft CEO: Europe more important than US now
And he's not just saying that to make up for years of financial inequity and utterly perverse release schedules. "First, our money - the pound or the euro - is very strong and because of that the turnover from those countries is heavier than they used to be," Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot tells GamesIndustry.biz. "So for Ubisoft turnover Europe is actually more important than the US now, and by more than 5 per cent. It's become a very strong market for us."Guillemot suspects that's largely to blame on all the exercise Europeans have been getting with new accessories and more accessible games, the likes of which even include politically charged real-time strategy scuffle Tom Clancy's EndWar. "A game like EndWar, for example, which you can control by voice - it's totally changing the industry because it gives you the opportunity to command what's happening, and to have a quick answer to the orders you give." While Ubi and Yu-rop laugh all the way to the bank, remind yourself that EndWar totally changes the industry on October 14th on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Beyond Good & Evil 2 'done for the new generation'
Did the long-awaited dream suddenly become an inescapable nightmare? Speaking to Next Generation, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot describes the recently announced Beyond Good & Evil sequel as a game done "for the new generation that's come into videogames." That's not you or me, folks, that's the person over there doing yoga on a Wii balance board. Yves notes that the game will be made "more accessible," a supposed improvement from a title that was "probably a little too difficult for the general gamers at that time." Says Guillemot: "We had a different audience at that time. We had more core gamers than casual gamers than we have today." Let's not be dense about this -- Beyond Good & Evil was a beloved, abysmal commercial failure that caused the industry to bust a gut whenever a continuation was mentioned. We can hardly begrudge Ubisoft for wanting loads of people to actually buy it this time around. However, it's is a very fine line to walk, and the desires of core and casual gamers don't necessarily agree. Guillemot himself admits that "so many customers were extremely happy with the game," and we can only hope that he doesn't see Fit to pull their pants down just because it'll make the casuals giggle. For now, we'll have to trust in series (OMG it's a series now!) creator, Michel Ancel, being able to deliver the game as he envisions it. Heck, the man's paid his dues in Rabbids by now, hasn't he? Ubisoft owes him. %Gallery-23890%
