[cue zelda fortune teller tune, hum along]
Remember when Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was telling everybody to start getting ready for new hardware, at a time when everyone else -- analysts and people like EA boss John Riccitiello -- were saying to hang in for a long console cycle?
Well, naturally these new possibilities for input tech mean they're both right, in a way, and I just talked to Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc about the company's prescience about the future and what it sees on the horizon. Hint, the fact it bought Sin City and 300 special effects studio Hybride back in 2008 has something to do with it.
Ubi made no secret of its cross-media plans during its briefing, of course (I only listened to it on a livestream and zoned out during the James Cameron Show), so I was happy to have the opportunity to ask Detoc a little bit more about what they have in mind for the future. Check it out!
Incidentally, what do you think of Ubi's product pipeline here at E3? I'm not accustomed to paying all that much attention to their games in past years -- with a few exceptions, they're either building casual brands (wise, and they do it well, but I'm not the target audience) or making shooters (and I wouldn't know if they're nice ones, because I don't often play them).
But in recent years, I've been really into some of the stuff they've been trying from a design standpoint with Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia and stuff, even if I'm not convinced they had it precisely right in either of those games. And like I've said in nearly every blog post, Splinter Cell: Conviction is one of the most popular games at E3, and I don't seem to be the only one who thinks so.
I've got another blog post in the works about why I think it's pretty nearly impossible to judge a game from the glimpses we're given at E3 -- too premature. But while it's too early to bank on anything concrete, I do have to say I was pretty impressed with the company's booth this year. At least to the eye, the stuff they've got in the works looks to be of blisteringly high quality (as are a good number of slates this year!) I'll definitely be paying more attention to Ubi from here on out.
Anyhow, in this interview, Detoc visualizes a future where the film is the tie-in product, and the game is the lead -- and to keep one from being a knock-off or cash-in opportunity, Ubisoft believes in integrating tech, assets and production from the get-go, and that's why it's getting a headstart now. What do you think of the idea?
19 comments:
Just a heads up: I think your last link ("Anyhow, in this interview, Detoc visualizes a future where the film is the tie-in product, and the game is the lead") is incorrect. It points you to the "New Motion Control Schemes Will Lengthen Hardware Cycle" article when it should lead you to "E3: Ubisoft's Detoc Looks Into The Future To New Tech, Film Convergence". I might be assuming too much, though.
I had a particularly visceral aversive reaction when I heard of Ubisoft's strategy for cross-convergence. Potentially, I can see what they're trying to do and accomplish, but there's always that chance they'll lose sight and forget that what they do is making video games. Remember Enter the Matrix? (And, yes, I am aware of how much it sold, but my point stands: strong brands do not equal good games.)
Oops, you're right, Bowlby -- thanks so much.
I think that for a company responsible for The Greatest Game Ever Made Ever Period (Sands of Time) and the subsequent whoring out of said game, it's a really interesting thing for them to be talking about not cashing in on anything . Much less something like a (Prince of Persia the) movie or (Prince of Persia the Movie the) game. Going in reverse chronological order, Ubisoft is responsible for some of the most groundbreaking and time tested games in the industry, Michel Ancel notwithstanding. But the prospect of them releasing any completely new IP anytime soon seems...unlikely.
Incedentally , I totally heard you on the bombcast and we should totally hang out when you get back from E3.
God i hope those italic tags work...
I was recently reading about Marvel Comics' deal in the late '70s for cross-convergence. They created a new, hip character (Dazzler, the Disco Queen) with a line of comic books as the main event, and a movie and album as secondary products.
Of course, the different time frame for different media made it impossible to simultaneously launch everything. By 1980, disco was dead, the movie studio and the record company had backed out, and Marvel was left holding the bag.
Fortunately, the company has an existing back-up plan for cast-off characters with an existing marketing campaign: Dazzler joined the X-Men. Hopefully Ubisoft has a backup plan in case the movie tie-in never gets off the ground.
Stay 100 feet away from mics, and suck Kojimas Cock some where else, put a nazi outfit on while youre at it if you want to. Call everything related to Sci-fi Nerdy but praise Anime ALL YOU want......
...But please, please, please STAY AWAY from Podcasts from now on. k? thanks bye
oh and if you do manage to drag your taking over everyone, insulting, 14 year old Message board troll attitude to another podcast, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell the Podcast publishers to put a WARNING that you are on.......
Then Everyone from Giantbomb, Gamespot, IGN, Neogaf and Gamefaqs will gladly avoid that episode of the podcast and wont have to wonder why their EARS ARE BLEEDING. thanks.
this is what i said on giant bomb.
"just reading back im shocked at some of the comments......
im telling you iv been here from day 1 also been following the crew for years before.
and im also telling you all the negative comets about Leigh Alexander are wronggggggggggggggggg. was kinda like what the hell, but then wow what a show. greattttttttttttttttttttttttttttt.
if anyone got anything to say about it let me know."
sorry to post here but the other one was blocked.
but we know its bioware fools that are saying this crap, to all the bad comments before, haaaaaaa your wrond and dumb.
all i wana know now is are you on psn? as i love jrpg's also would love to play online sometime.
idd gladly talk about the podcast, but not here as the fools i talked about before would only poke holes. hit me up with a reply laterzzzz
Well this comment section pretty quickly.
I haven't listened to the podcast but this certainly paints an interesting picture of it.
Perhaps you already know about this, but they got a really funny article at Hardcasual involving a PostE3/furious/rampant Leigh Alexander =).
http://www.hardcasual.net/2009/06/05/giant-dreadlocked-half-cyborg-leigh-alexander-desperately-searches-empty-convention-center-for-zoltar-speaks-machine/
Here's what I'm thinking Leigh - disable comments for a couple weeks or so until these douchebags find someone new to troll (shit, I don't even want to know what your email inbox looks like).
Ubisoft has done some good in my opinion (PoP: Sands of Time as someone mentioned above), so I don't begrudge them for their casual line - I don't think they owe me anything as a "gamer". I think that a lot more good could come out of that studio as well.
Actually, my inbox is full of positive mail. The only people talking shit are the sort too scared to put their names behind it.
So why should I shut down my comments? Really, whoever wants to keep proving my attitude justified can keep doing so, until I decide to delete it all. This ain't th place for that, but it's amusing me for now.
Hardcasual are my friends, but I don't get the joke.
Don't feed the trolls Leigh. Rule number one.
Um... didin't mean to troll or anything like that (if so it seemed), maybe I don't comment alot on your blog, but honestly I think you're one of the best videogames jurno out there =).
That's an interesting thought: games leading, with movies that follow. I guess we're already seeing that a bit with Doom and Gears of War (and a whole lot of terrible VG-related movies). In the short term, at least, I don't really see what's happening now changing too much... If folks think a movie from a game could make money, they'll make it - and vice versa.
I didn't know about the Ubisoft/Hybride connection, though. Does that mean we'll see Spirits Within/Advent Children-style movies based on Ubisoft properties?
I'd be interested in seeing a movie based on a game that's actually good. Looking at how games are becoming more mainstream it's no wonder Ubisoft has something like this in mind. Also would like to see if they'll be making their games more movielike. Something on the lines of Mass Effect.
This honestly wouldn't surprise me from Ubisoft. The CG cutscene they showed at E3 was incredible. It really felt and looked life-like.
Also, I didn't listen to the podcast but when I saw the comments I really told to myself "Oh no Leigh, were you drunk =( "
I like the idea, but as long as film remains the more accepted, mainstream medium, and games (besides 'casual' games, i.e., ones with a plot worthy of a film) are the 'niche' product, wouldn't a game film be considered the 'lead-in' product by the masses even if it's not intended as such? Kinda-sorta?
Also, sorry about the whole giantbomb madness. Don't let it get to you.
Additionally, I've been playing Assassin's Creed 1 – having been psyched up by the trailer for the sequal – and... it's okay, I guess. I think they did some really impressive stuff in making the cities feel "alive", but it's clear that they couldn't quite work out the gameplay past its primordial stages. It's like it's conceptual half-finished, like they got to the drawing board stage, hit a dead-end and decided to go ahead anyway.
And I really don't understand why they added this sci-fi element. Maybe it will come into play near the end, but, to me, it feels like some uber-pretentious, "meta" nonsense to provide a cover for more "gamey" aspects (i.e. fail a mission and you can repeat the memory), which, in itself, makes it look all the more obvious.
It's not a bad game. The combat and platforming parts work really well, but they made being an assassin boring – a tedious, repetitive occupation. That's not supposed to be the case in a video game, whether or not it is in reality.
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