After the excitement surrounding Ubisoft Forward earlier in June, we were able to briefly sit down with CEO Yves Guillemot, who was feeling reflective after June’s whirlwind showcase season. Among other topics, Guillemot discussed the future of Ubisoft’s video game portfolio, gave us a glimpse of what’s in store for the Assassin’s Creed series, and reflected on the evolution of historical game genres and the industry it -even.
What genres of video games is Ubisoft currently focusing on?
Yves Guillemot: The open-world action-adventure genre is definitely something we continue to focus on, as you can see with Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Our game engines, Snowdrop and Anvil, have been tailored to this genre and we believe we can create some of the best experiences out there. And conversely, our native Games as a Service (GaaS) experiences exist. We’ve seen with games like Rainbow Six Siege that listening to your community and learning from their feedback is the way to grow a GaaS game. Of course, you absolutely have to have a vision, but the game is a co-construction with its players. If you listen to your community, you can create a scalable, best-in-class experience for them.
Ubisoft has been a key player in the open world for many years. How do you ensure evolution and innovation with each new game?
YA: Technology is evolving at such a pace that the possibilities for evolution are limitless. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for example, we have a weather system that will affect its gameplay; ponds that were once swimmable could freeze over, for example. Visually, we’re also seeing a big step forward for the series. I’ve also talked a lot about the potential I see in generative AI and how it can enrich NPCs to make them smarter and more interactive. This could potentially extend to the animals in the world, to the world itself. There’s still a lot we can do to enrich these open worlds and make them even more dynamic.
What do you think Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings to the series that might attract players who have never played Assassin’s Creed before, or who have abandoned the series?
YA: I think the fact that you’re set in feudal Japan and exploring such a beautiful world with two complementary but different characters is a very appealing proposition. You can choose how to handle any situation by playing the role of a shinobi or a samurai, and have very different experiences depending on your choice. I can’t wait for players new and old to get their hands on it.
On the Assassin’s Creed side, we’ve had Mirage, which was a more stripped-down homage to the series’ roots, and now Shadows, which is much broader in scope and more akin to Odyssey/Valhalla. Looking to the future, can we expect such diversity? Small games alongside bigger ones?
YA: First, players may be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we’ve made in the past and modernize them; There are worlds in some of our older Assassin’s Creed games that are still extremely rich. Second, to answer your question, experiences will vary greatly. The goal is to release Assassin’s Creed games more regularly, but not for it to be the same experience every year. There’s a lot of good stuff coming, including Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which we announced will be a very different game from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. We’ll surprise people, I think.
While some GaaS games have maintained a large and loyal player base, we have seen a lot of publishers try and fail in this space. What can Ubisoft bring to the games-as-a-service market to differentiate itself from the competition?
YA: We must continue to listen carefully to our players and make informed decisions about where to focus our efforts, because if you succeed with GaaS, you can succeed in the long term. Let’s take XDefiant as an example. There is a lot of work to be done, but it has managed to attract 11 million players in a short time. And that number will increase with all the work the team has done to ensure that Season 1 brings much more to the existing experience. It’s about making the right choices and sticking to them.
What are your hopes for XDefiant in the future?
YA: Aside from it being continuously updated, with different experiences and optimized gameplay, I would like to see it as a serious esport. But really, for a game like this, there are no limits to its future. And we have a fantastic team working on it, listening to our players~~,~~ and communicating with them, which is so crucial. We started strong, but there is still a long way to go, and I am excited that we are taking on the challenge.
Let’s quickly discuss Ubisoft’s Snowdrop and Anvil engines. What benefits do they bring to Ubisoft’s games?
YA: They are specialized and differentiate our games. We will continue to invest in our proprietary engines; the creators of our engines understand what our games need and what our game developers need, and tailor our engines to those needs. That’s how we can continue to push our visuals and gameplay to new heights.
I would like to end with a two-part question. Part 1: What is currently dismaying you in the video game industry?
YA: I am particularly concerned about the personal and malicious online attacks that have been directed against some of our team members and partners. I would like to make it clear that we at Ubisoft condemn these heinous acts in the strongest possible terms, and I encourage the rest of the industry and gamers to denounce them as well. I’m proud to support the incredible work of our teams and partners, and I will always have confidence in their creative choices. We should all celebrate the hard work and talent that goes into creating video games.
That’s pretty clear. So, second part of the question: what are you passionate about in the video game industry right now?
YA: What excites me, and what has always excited me, is new technologies and the potential they can bring to our developers and, of course, our players. I would like the hardware to evolve even faster. The fact that games have, for some time, been compatible with both the current and previous generation of consoles is a fantastic thing for our catalog and our players, but it has held the industry back a bit when it comes to to develop truly new experiences. If we as game creators can adopt and master technological advancements like generative AI and the cloud more quickly, we will be much better positioned to create remarkable new experiences for players.