REVEALING A NEW GAME AT E3 AND RELEASING IT WITHIN A MATTER OF MONTHS
Ubisoft has gotten into the trend of showing off a previously unannounced title at the end of their E3 presentation every year. In 2016 they announced Steep, an open world alpine sports game with a massive world to explore and plenty of multiplayer sports to engage in. There were only six months between the game’s announcement and release, very unlike the company’s typical pattern of unveiling new titles and waiting years to release them. This came as a breath of fresh air to many fans. Not only did Steep turn out to be incredibly fun, but players eager to get their hands on it didn’t have too long to wait.
Continuing this trend would only serve to benefit Ubisoft. Fully revealing a title at E3, showing off gameplay, and giving viewers a taste of what they can expect in the near future will make it easier to market the game, especially when they don’t have to do so over several years. The company used to take this approach with Assassin’s Creed when the series was annualized, but with other releases, they frequently rushed to announce their existence. Revealing titles six months or a year before release will ensure that interest stays fresh.