IGN-Ubisoft: Industry "Penalised" by Long Console Cycle

Ubisoft's CEO has claimed that the lack of new consoles has damaged the entire games trade for consumers and developers alike.
In an interview with Gamasutra, Yves Guillemot shared his feeling that the lengthy console cycle has stymied creativity and led to companies resorting to making sequels.

[Ares84HU]

I'm ready for next gen. Games kind of grew stale for me because there is nothing new or something that I haven't seen or played already.

I'm ready for the next gen. Bring it!

[Salamander]

Well said bloke.

[Gamer1982]

Everybody seems to be complaining about it lately.. I think this is an indication that something was supposed to be announced at E3 and wasn't and now the backlash has started as they have probably developed games for it, spent millions doing so ready for launch and the consoles not ready.

[M83_]

@Gamer1982

Nice conspiracy theory. If something was that far along with that amount of investment in it they just couldn't pull out last minute. They have commitments and you can't break them, it's just not that easy.

I knew nothing would be announced because there wasn't any substantial rumours at all! I know you shouldn't rely on rumours for anything but to a degree, there's no smoke without fire.
Look at the wii u/ project cafe last year, rumours for months before hand and very substantial ones at that. That kind of buzz was completely lacking for announcements that would be huge like an up coming ps4/Xbox.

But I don't doubt they are in development and I'm sure they will be announced some time next year beit e3 or otherwise. What I do doubt though is that they were planned for announcement this year but everything was pulled back. That's just not realistic.

[MadLad]

While I mainly game on 360 and very, very much would like to see newer console tech hit the market, at this point, I say let this generation draw-out even further.

PC gaming has been on a good incline for the last couple years. Many are thanking this over-lengthened generation and people's want for something more at this point.

The more pc gamers, the more developers will focus on it as a main platform, the better off gaming itself will be, considering developers have less and less restrictions to worry about.

[mewhy32]

We would all love to see some massive jump in tech and get new machines. But since this console cycle has lasted so long and been quite competitive, the developers have been forced to get really creative on the 'tech' side. We seen new rendering techniques, the advent of sofisticated streaming tech, new anti aliasing methods, deferred this and deferred that. I mean, this has been good for developers to stretch the minds, not just in new creative ideas, but tech to enable them to realize they're creativity on limited resources. Now imagine what they will be able to achieve with all these new tools on a nex gen console. We're gonna be in for a treat.

[MadLad]

True. But this is no different than developing on pc. And when developing on pc, there is no real limit on the developer, allowing them to push harder and harder for those who can handle it.

The techniques that developers have to develop in order to get games running on the older console tech at this point is really no different than the idea of optimizing their games to run on multiple hardware combinations and at different levels of graphical fidelity.

With pc, the technology will always be there for the developers to experiment with. Without any real limitation, it allows for developers to push harder and harder all the time, making for more impressive games more often.

If the majority of console players would just make the leap to pc gaming, it would probably improve the industry as a whole. It would probably drop the price of hardware down a bit as well, being that it would be seen as less of a specialty item - pc gaming.

This is just me talking though. I realize that the console market is needed, at least for it's ease of use. I just see a lot of positives in a largely pc gaming industry. Not just in terms of game development, but also distribution.

[Gamer1982]

PC is already Nex-Gen thanks to DX11 and full 1080p gaming for under £400. You want to see what your PS4 and 720 will look like? Switch to pc. Plus you will save a ton of cash too as games are cheaper on PC especially with STEAM.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

That is not completely true. While pc is ahead it is not full used because of consoles. Do you think Naughty dog won't make a game next gen that doesn't look better than 90% of pc games now? It will look mind blowing because they can optimize ps4. But of course pc games will look good. But for the first 3 years I expect consoles to have the high production look and feel.

like this..
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Really if pc had third person adventures like ps3 I would only play on pc since pc has better shooters. But third person adventure games makes me still play on console to.

[MadLad]

@shutupandtakemymoney

That's a bit unfair though. It's common fact that many, many titles released are developed with console in mind. There are only so many games that actually take advantage of even mid-range PCs. Even fewer that take advantage of heftier rigs.

Games such as Battlefield 3, Witcher 2, Metro 2033, etc, are few and far between. So, when a really good looking console game comes out, it's not very fair to say that it looks better than 90% of pc titles, when it is consoles themselves that are limiting the graphical fidelity of pc releases. The most you can normally expect from developers is some better texture work and the game displaying at higher resolutions - something you also didn't factor in when it comes to console gaming.

Displaying a game in 1080p takes roughly twice the power of running a game in 720p. When you take into consideration the fact that most console releases, first-party Playstation releases or otherwise, don't even display in native 720p but at sub-hd resolutions . . .

Not many developers, when developing cross-platform, take the time to include features that are actually pretty standard for the average gaming pc nowadays.

[rpd123]

@SlapHappyJesus

Which begs the question, why did you just buy a pc because it has better graphical capabilities, when in reality only about 10% of the games for it actually take advantage of it?

Also on Steam sales. They're nice but honestly you get a lot of crap games. And almost all PC games are launched at the same price their console counterparts are so that's an invalid argument.

[metroid32]

WiiU is officially 2gig RAM/DX11/OpenGl 4.1/Shader model 5.0,go look on Nintengen m8,its all official mow the wiiu supports Compute shader 11 so the gpu is basically a gpgpu of the new age meaning it can handle most work that a cpu would normally handle while taking zero hit on graphics ??? oh and Valve is porting their network over to WiiU as we speak.

[AtomicGerbil]

We may be due a new wave of consoles, but all this publisher bitching and moaning is getting tiresome. All their complaints are due to them having to innovate and take their time to polish. They want new consoles so they can make up for shortcomings with a few bells and whistles that would be easier.

Stop blaming your tools for lack of quality, there are plenty of instances this generation to prove that the hardware is capable.

[dcbronco]

I don't blame them for complaining. If there were only consoles it would be one thing. But there are PCs for everyone to look. It's obvious the standard is lowered by the consoles when the cycle lingers this long.

And it's not just about innovation. I agree that they need to be more innovative. But the ability of the current machines isn't as high as promised. And the generation being stretched this long only benefits the console makers. Sales of consoles have fallen, but the profits have soared for some. While the price to make the machines has fallen, the price for consumers has barely moved.

Add that the main engine makers have moved on to engines the current consoles can't handle. Crytek and Epic have moved on. Most new IP or next installments are being held back for the next gen. Developers are getting stiffed right now. And gamers are losing interest. Look at the release schedules. Not much of interest the rest of this year. Because there are a few new titles, any middle of the road or small title has to be careful. So maybe they don't release.

We need new machines to bring the excitement back.

[AtomicGerbil]

I'm sorry but it's all excuses. Yes, the hardware is there on PC, so use it if consoles aren't good enough(which is exactly what they are saying)so the console manufacturers have something to take notice of. Just remember, the console makers rely a lot more on the developers than the other way round. Developers have the power and so far nothings happening which makes me think that much of the complaining is PR bull.

Secondly it would be madness for a developer to go full throttle on a new console when the userbase is low and completely lock out the old generation which would still be the majority. Besides if rumours that keep circulating round the web are correct all these developers are already producing for the nextbox and PS4 anyway so all in all what's their problem?

[dcbronco]

Developers had the power when making games was cheaper. Look how many go out of business every year. Unless you're one of the major companies, you usually need help. That's why Sony can get away with demanding the IP. If they had any power, no one would ever give up ownership of their products.

No one is saying abandon the current generation. But it's time to have better machines to work with too. It's best to have two generations going at the same time. One to keep income coming in with it's large user base. And one to start showing what is in the future. And you have to go full throttle. If you have confidence in what you're doing you'll be fine. A console might sell 5-10 million in that first year. If you are one of a few that launch with a new generation you have a chance to sell to a higher percentage of the user base. look at how Resistance sold. Even people that didn't necessarily want a title like that bought it because there wasn't much else.

[Droid Control]

I've been ready for next gen since 2010. Brought my 360 in 2005.

The consoles are actually holding back PC gaming as well.

Sony painted themselves into a corner with the PS3. It cost them so much to make the machines that they need this long cycle just to make a bit of a profit.

M$ are loving Sony's mistake. Sony thought people would be willing to pay £600 for a PS3. They didn't. Now M$ has been milking this gen for everything it has, Making money on the hardware, the add-on's, xbox LIVE etc...

They must be laughing at Sony.

[Majin-vegeta]

*The consoles are actually holding back PC gaming as well.*

Ummm,yea no that would be the developer's.They don't wanna use the PC to the best they can so everyone has to resort to saying consoles are holding back gaming bla bla.

[metroid32]

Well get upset because 360 is just getting extentions wiiu is the only next gen console as i think 360/ps4 will half skip this gen while wiiu gamers enjoy AC3 in 1080p and original games built using OpenGl 4.1 and lots more RAM poor Microsoft fanboys and sony fanboys is all i have to day ????????????????????????

[SleazyChimp]

What is really amazing is all of these developers last year were singing praises to this generation and how current consoles still had power left to be squeezed out. Fast forward a year with the games Industry sales down 30%, now suddenly consoles are "Bad mmm-k". These kind of public diggs at consoles is the writing on the wall, next gen is just about here.

[Hufandpuf]

Taking into account that shifting into next gen will only ensure that the biggest publishers will continue to get bigger and the smaller studios will be at an even bigger disadvantage because they aren't working with the same budget.

[jrbeerman11]

MS and Sony are trying to extend the more profitable part of the console generation. The R and D and high costs of bringing in a new console are tough. Sony especially would have trouble bringing in a new console now considering their current financial situation.

it will be very interesting what comes to the table, im still waiting on WiiU specs (if its been confirmed please let me know). But i have a feeling that its going to be a little different than this generation.

[jrbeerman11]

i also disagree with ubisoft, right now when they make assassins creed 3 for xbox360 and PS3 they are hitting a majority of the hardcore gaming market....

if they were making assassins creed 3 for xbox3 or ps4 then the target market would be much smaller considering that early stages of new console generations experience split markets, alot of people still gamed on ps2 a few years in the new cycle.

they could make it for the older consoles but now your making a game for 4 consoles as well as PC.

Edit: i didnt take nintendo into account at all, whoops so right now they are making AC for 3 instead of 5.

[solid_si]

Well its clear he has seen next gen dev kits and is offcialy hinting that its coming soon and starting to promote it just as EA is doing...we seen this done last gen.

[ShiftyPumpkin]

It seems strange to me that some developers are clamoring for new consoles, as if to say "Please, platform holders, make new consoles so that my dev costs can go up even more!"

If we have new technology (be it faster processors/graphics chips, larger media or hard drive space) it seems to me that the content will expand to fill the tech. Newer, bigger, better, etc. Just sounds like a recipe for even higher game budgets.

I understand part of the mentality: new hardware means new user interest, and you can get in on the ground floor with new IP (which Ubisoft is pretty good at). But does the larger market really want new hardware at release-level prices right now? You can say "Yes, it's long overdue" but that's looking at past console cycles to predict the future...a lot has changed since '88, '98, even '08.

[ChunkyLover53]

The whole industry and the gamers have suffered. Even if we see next generation offerings next year, two years later we should technically be getting new consoles again, had they kept with the 5 year cycle.

The industry is declining, and yes we are seeing some new games and some people are happy with what they have now, but I was an early adopter and am more then ready for new hardware and the new software that comes with it.

[neutralgamer19]

Yeah it would be hard for Sony to usher in a new console given their financial situation (smh). Irregardless of some of Sonys downfalls and lose of revenue in certain sectors of their business they are still 79 on forbes 5oo and still have assets in the multimillion. Their gaming division turns a profit for them and the ps3 has been profitable since like 2010 so their financial situation is not whats stopping them from moving forward with a new console. They had a plan with the Ps3 and all along since the beginning Ps3 was touted as future proof even though no console is but that just shows the direction Sony was going with the ps3 (longer life span). Their still making money off of it and their not really worried about Wii u so why would they run to release a new console now? The wii is struggling to sell as of late because of casual crowd and saturation but Ps3 still continues to sell.

Of course i want a new gen console and will buy day one, but it is what it is.

[yabhero]

Don't listen the PR BS... Both Sony and MS are worried about Nintendo and Nintendo is worried about them. This whole " I don't care what my competitor is doing" attitude is stupid. A good business is concerned when their competitor releases a new product that is more powerful and offers new features. This is the case with the WiiU and PS3. Sony will be out with PS4 before the end of 2014. It would be stupid of Sony/MS to leave the market open for Nintendo for 2 years.

[Rock_On_PS4]

the ps3 rocks and the 360 sucks crowd will try to convince us that the ps3 games have better graphics than pc games. too bad the frame rates on the ps3 are very slow in comparison to pc and x360.

[representj]

what you serious? consoles have shitty graphics? As far as i know the ps3 def has a lot of legs left this gen especially with games like the last of us and beyond two souls and you take ubisoft's word for it. Haha you sound silly dude lol

Ubisoft is one company that i don't take serious when they say they have maxed out the system when its clearly shown that they lack the skills to develop for the ps3. I mean the games are okay looking but when you compare that to First party development from the ps3, its nothing compared to what naughty dog, guerilla games, quatum dreams, and isomiac games have in their shelves. As far as i know, ubisoft doesn't have a right to say that they maxed out this gen, the only developers that have that right to say this gen is already maxed out is clearly naughty dog and quatum dreams. No one else at least for this console gen with the ps3....................

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Graphics are not the only measure to consider when talking about the limitations of machines being maxed out. Enemy AI routines, open worlds, robust skills trees and updradeable weapons, armor & gadgets are all things that tax a systems ram. Neither the PS3 or the 360 have much more to offer in that regard. Developers don't even get a full 512mb or RAM to work with on either machine given the system OS actually taps in to a portion of it for background functionality.

So yes you can still make things look very pretty on the PS3 but you will become increasingly limited on what you can actually do behind the scenes with these systems as you push more polygons... Being limited in any capacity due to hardware is in essence maxing out the hardware.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

It's an interesting take. I really would have thought developers would have preferred a longer generation allowing them to be even more comfortable with programming on the units, and thus with that comfort feel more relaxed about doing something different/creative.

Maybe the issue is not so much the "length" of the generation but the realities of the limitations each machines hardware has and that those limitations are increasingly becoming hurdles that developers can't overcome in the current generation so they have to make compromises?

[representj]

Have you played resistance series or the Killzone series on the ps3? That explains why this gen is far from over and the AI and the level of detail is way far more superior than all of third party titles that have been develolped on consoles. Btw these exclusives can hold its own against some of the beastly games on PC. Yeah Crysis 1 and 2 and battlefield 3 are the best looking games on pc, but games like resistance and killzone are proved that next gen is not needed any time soon.. Matter of fact there are way too many blockbuster titles that are coming next year. Releasing a next gen console in the same given year would def hurt the sales of the current gen since given that there are way too many titles that are huge for this console gen. My best best is fall of 2014 when next gen rolls by....

[mochachino]

People keep saying that PC is next gen but that's not true, most PC games don't use PC power at all, they're just sharper, smoother, console games - something akin to PS2 HD versions or 360 at 1080p and 60FPS.

Aside from MMOs, strategy games and the odd RPG, devs aren't leading on PC or making AAA games for it, it's all just console ports.

That being said, I'd prefer the smoother, sharper version any day.

[representj]

UBISOFT IS A BIG JOKE WHEN COMPARED TO NAUGHTY DOG......ENOUGH SAID

[metroid32]

So Watch dogs wasnt the most impressive open world game that you have seen then ???????????

[Enigma_2099]

Translation: We need new, shiny hardware to hide our mediocrity behind.

This is ridiculous. If you're not making games worth talking about now, what difference is it gonna make when the next console comes out? You just want to ride the new console hype train out of the gate, in the hopes that the new console smell will mask the stale scent of your less than stellar games...

GOD, my metaphors are beautiful. Anyway, These consoles have been out for a while now. You mean to tell us that you STILL don't know the consoles well enough to make games worthy of catching the consumer's eye?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Ummm... Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Rayman, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, Prince of Persia. I'd say all those game IP's have caught plenty of consumer eye's both now and looking forward. And all of those are in addition to all the very well received fitness and dance games they have made.

Ubisoft has plenty of talent so please just stop.

[Enigma_2099]

Soon as they do. And who... besides you, is talking about those games, hmmm? Even talk about the new Assassin's Creed game has been rather quiet.

Nobody's debating their talent. But they should stop whining about lack of next gen hardware and USE IT.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Well, to be fair you actually pretty much said they lack talent or at best are "mediocre" in their ability by your comments. "to hide our mediocrity behind." ...that kind a tells me exactly how you feel about their talent level.

You are of course entitled to your own opinion. I happen to think Ubisoft is one of the brighter lights in the "Big Publisher" pool. They take chances, some pay off others don't...and they have a staple of great games that they put forward.

Lastly, "Even talk about the new Assassin's Creed game has been rather quiet." ??? Maybe in the past week, but prior to that you couldn't go 3 articles with out seeing something "AC3" on this site or any of the other major media sites. AC3 talk has been anything but quiet.

[Catoplepas]

It is a poor workman who blames his tools.