The Biggest Moves and Mistakes Ubisoft Could Make in 2017

LAUNCHING A NEW ASSASSIN’S CREED GAME AND REINVENTING THE FRANCHISE

While the last several Assassin’s Creed games were not bad, they were nothing remarkable, causing fans to lose faith in the long running series. Assassin’s Creed took a year off in 2016, making way for Watch Dogs 2 and allowing Ubisoft to take their time with development. There have been rumors for several years that the next entry will be set in ancient Egypt, moving away from the Western roots of the series and thrusting players into a world unlike any other explored in video games.

Assassin’s Creed is one of Ubisoft’s biggest franchises, and its waning popularity is not good for the company, especially since it was once one of the most unique series in the industry. A new entry in the series is a certainty, but other than a change in setting, we have no idea how Assassin’s Creed will evolve. It has followed a similar structure since Assassin’s Creed II, with Unity evolving the series’ trademark parkour, making it easier to traverse the enviroment but still tasking players with finding viewpoints, jumping into hay, and sneaking up behind unaware guards.

Assassin’s Creed has always been an amalgam of stealth and action, but the action has always won out. Maybe this balance needs to shift, favoring stealth and emphasizing that the player is stepping into the shoes of an assassin. Hopefully, the next entry in this fantastic franchise will give fans something to look forward to.

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.

CONTINUE TO SUPPORT 2016 GAMES

Ubisoft releases a lot of games each year, but support tends to die off as soon as all the DLC has released. Titles like The Division and Watch Dogs 2 will undoubtedly be played well into 2017.  They are massive open world titles with plenty to do and see. If players are going to continue to put time into these, then Ubisoft should continue to improve upon them, giving their fanbase a reason to jump back in.

They don’t need to do this indefinitely, but even continuing to support games released in 2016 throughout 2017 will ensure that the entirety of the Ubisoft fan base is taken care of and has something to sink their teeth into — even if the support is simply patching the game to give those still enjoying the content a better experience.

REVEAL A NEW FAR CRY TITLE

Far Cry continues to grow with each new entry. Every game in the series stands alone, featuring an entirely new cast of characters and a beautiful new setting. Far Cry Primal proved that the series doesn’t necessarily need to be grounded in the modern day with an arsenal of guns for the player to wield. Upgradable spears, hammers and bows were just as effective at killing enemies, if the actual story was lackluster.

There have been plenty of rumors making the rounds about where the next game may be set. In 2015, Ubisoft released a poll asking players where they wanted future Far Cry titles to be set. While one of the selections may have led to the creation of Far Cry Primal, there are still plenty of possibilities left. Each new option sounds more absurd than the next, but this may be just what the series needs. Setting a Far Cry game in space or a land infested with Vampires will make it one of the most unique first person action games to release in 2017, and further differentiate the franchise from Ubisoft’s other offerings.

FULLY SUPPORT THE NINTENDO SWITCH AT LAUNCH

The Nintendo Switch is set to release in March of 2017, and Ubisoft has already declared their support of the new console. Lending some of their releases from this year and several of their best 2016 titles will not only help pad out the Switch’s library in its first several months on the market, but also let early Switch purchasers play a bevy of Ubisoft games on the go.

Ubisoft releases a lot of open world games that would be perfect for playing on the move. Their franchises are also notorious for having a lot of objectives littering the map, a boon for time-consuming exploration. Ubisoft has always supported Nintendo whenever they release new hardware, and getting behind the Japanese publisher with the Switch will only put their games into the hands of more players.

REVEAL A GAME AT E3 AND NOT RELEASE IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS

While Steep was announced and released within six months, Ubisoft usually does the exact opposite of this. In previous years, they have shown off several new titles at E3 only to bring them back to the show for the next several years. This destroys anticipation, showing a wealth of content and continually dangling fantastic looking titles in front of gamers eager to jump in.

Not only did the Division and Watch Dogs take at least two years to be released after their reveals, the initial gameplay was not visually indicative of the final product. Ubisoft needs to take their time with reveals and their subsequent marketing in the coming year. Waiting and ensuring that players have a real sense of what they will be getting their hands on will pay off in the long run and please fans of the company.

RELEASE TITLES THAT REQUIRE AN INTERNET CONNECTION BUT INCLUDE A WEALTH OF SINGLE PLAYER CONTENT

A recent trend in the industry is releasing games that offer a wealth of single player content but also allow players to engage with others in these modes, creating a unique shared-world style of multiplayer game. But some of these games, including the recently released Steep, cannot be played without an active internet connection. This gets even more unfortunate considering the amount of single player content available in each title.

Ubisoft needs to keep their games accessible. Yes, the multiplayer component does add more to the experience, but those who do not want to engage with these features should not be penalized if they want to play completely offline.  

RELEASE SEQUELS THAT DON’T EVOLVE A SERIES

Many of the games in Ubisoft’s catalogue release every year or two. This often means that each new entry in an established franchise doesn’t move the needle as much as fans may have hoped. The Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series have continued to build upon previous games without adding new mechanics that draw players to the experiences.

The development cycles for these popular franchises may be more truncated than other games released by the company, but continuing to release titles that don’t move a series forward quickly leads to fatigue. Ubisoft needs to do more to differentiate each individual release if they want to keep their flagships fresh. The company is slowly moving away from annualized releases, but games are still making barely incremental moves forward. Far Cry 4 was little more than a location change from Far Cry 3. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate still followed the same formula. These experiences were enjoyable, but these kind of small steps forwards didn’t sit well with fans.

CONTINUE TO RELEASE GAMES PLAGUED BY BUGS

Because Ubisoft continues to pump out games at an almost unbelievable clip, their most recent releases have been plagued with bugs. Assassin’s Creed Unity was certainly the worst example, but a lot of their other titles have been riddled with technical issues on day one. This only makes the games appear less polished and somewhat unfinished, never a fun time for players. They may make for funny YouTube videos and GIFs, but at the end of the day, they only make Ubisoft look bad.

Taking the time to release incredibly polished and well made experiences will place new confidence in the company, and prove to their fans that they want to release the best possible product.