Thanks to our peers over at Videogameschronicle, we’ve gained some insight into the changes Ubisoft has made after delaying three of their major titles originally planned for early in 2020.
According to the article, both The Division 2 and Breakpoint missed their sales targets and it was at that point Ubisoft decided to “implement significant changes” across the company. The focus was the editorial team, a Paris-based team of around 100 designers and producers who advise development teams on everything from game design to scripting. In a statement to VGC, Ubisoft said:
“We are reinforcing our editorial team to be more agile and better accompany our development teams around the world as they create the best gaming experiences for players,” it said.
Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoet will continue to lead the Editorial Team, however according to VGC the number of vice presidents who report in to him will be expanded to create more autonomy and create a broader view of projects. Additionally, the VPs will be given independent projects to prevent similarity across their IPs. Another source told VGC:
“In the previous system that editorial had, there were often the ideas of just one or two people getting put into every game. That’s why you tended to see such similarity, because it’s the same taste and opinion being replicated.”
Given the new direction and instruction, it has impacted not only future projects, but some titles that were deep into development. One title that was reportedly “very deep into development” has been canned while other titles are being “reworked“.
Our Take
This is a great report by VGC and we’re pleased to see Ubisoft taking steps to not only ensure quality, but to reduce similarity in their titles which is something we’ve spoken about repeatedly. We are of course curious as to which titles are being reworked. With Watch Dogs 3 and Roller Champions getting delayed, Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok on deck for 2020, and Gods and Monsters and Skull and Bones still in queue, we’re anxious to see what changes are made.
[…] few days we reported on Ubisoft’s new editorial team and how the company was looking to make changes to the way they develop their IPs. Now, according […]