Ubisoft’s Philosophy on How to Create a Live Service Game That Stands the Test of Time is What Concord Needed to Survive

SUMMARY

• Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has a unique view of how online multiplayer games can thrive.
• Sony made the tough decision to shut down the servers of Concord days after it was released.
• Games as a Service from Ubisoft can survive if they listen to the gaming community's feedback and opinions.

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Ubisoft has been a major contributor to the gaming industry’s growth after developing countless games in various genres in the past few years. Recently, Massive Entertainment finally released its original and ambitious open-world Star Wars project to appeal to fans of single-player games; however, it had a mixed reception, which encouraged the publisher to reconsider its objectives. On the other hand, the rising popularity of Games as a Service motivated the studio to develop XDefiant after the success of Rainbow Six Siege.

Star Wars Outlaws had the potential to be a great single-player experience. Image Credit: Massive Entertainment

CEO Yves Guillemot sees the bigger picture and thinks of a way to keep up. Guillemot knows nothing will happen if the developers go against the player base and decide it is best to establish a symbiotic relationship.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot Believes the Best Way to Please the Gaming Community Is to Listen

Ubisoft is going through a rough patch after the company stocks plummeted to critical levels after Star Wars Outlaws underperformed. The gaming company is now banking on Assassin’s Creed Shadows to be a financial and critical success and recover from the tragic loss keeping the player base interested in future projects.

While discussing the studio’s priorities regarding gaming genres, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot spoke about the company’s interest in the action-adventure genre heavily emphasizing the importance of their original Star Wars project and upcoming Assassin’s Creed installment.

The action-adventure open-world genre is really something we’re continuing to concentrate on, as you can see with Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Our game engines – Snowdrop and Anvil – have been adapted to that genre, and we believe we can create some of the best experiences out there.

While Ubisoft acknowledges the importance of providing a great single-player experience, Guillemot revealed the gaming company has a vested interest in improving their existing Games as a Service, better known as live service projects like Rainbow Six Siege and XDefiant.

And on the flip side of that are our Games as a Service (GaaS) native experiences. 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 need to have a vision, but the game is a co-construction with its players. If you listen to your community, you can create an evolving, best-in-class experience for them.

Online multiplayer games are all the rage nowadays and the gaming community is after the best collaborative experience. Guillemot saw countless games try and fail because the game developers did not realize one important factor finding a way to please the gaming community. Openly ignoring their complaints will send a bad message and that is a one-way guarantee to throw years of hard work down the drain.

Times are changing and Ubisoft has to keep up to prevent being left in the dust. Online multiplayer games are running rampant; however, not every game is successful and has the same luck as others like Fortnite, Call of Duty, Helldivers 2, and many more. The developers of XDefiant tried to implement fun and ambitious ideas, and the studio should always consider the public’s opinion and let the game flourish with a symbiotic relationship.

XDefiant Could Take Notes From Other Successful Games as a Service

XDefiant could be what Concord should have been. Image Credit: Ubisoft

Game developers could create whatever game they like but none of it will matter if the gaming community will graciously accept it. Despite being branded with the PlayStation Studios logo, Concord was an ambitious multiplayer game developed by Firewalk Studios; unfortunately, the developers couldn’t make it work. Sony pulled the plug a few days after it was released for the PlayStation 5 and PC.

Community feedback is vital data that could benefit game developers in future endeavors. Listening to the players and making the necessary changes is a sign of compassion from the game developers.

Game developers need the support of the gaming community and not the other way around. Once players decide to turn their backs on a game, it will fail one way or another.

Ubisoft has the advantage of working on a diverse array of games. From single-player titles to Games as a Service, the company can appeal to players with distinct preferences for years.

What are your thoughts about Yves Guillemot’s comments about Ubisoft’s gaming views? Let us know in the comments section below!

Written by Rouvin Josef Quirimit

Articles Published: 975

Piqued by his interest in superheroes during the early days of Marvel movies, Rouvin fell in a rabbit hole of pop culture. His passion for movies led to video games and he fell in love with God of War, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Red Dead Redemption, and more great single-player games that paved the way for his career as a gaming writer.