One of the reasons people can’t wait for next-gen consoles like the Playstation 4 and the Xbox 720 to arrive is because they’re expecting bigger and better games to come with it. Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO, agrees that we’ll definitely be seeing more amazing and technically better games but he also thinks we’ll be seeing fewer of them.
Speaking with The Guardian, Guillemot reveals that since the Xbox 720 and the Playstation 4 took such a long time to get here, we can expect “something really new, really interesting that will boost the market enormously.” He thinks that innovations such as Microsoft’s SmartGlass and future offerings from Google would improve the overall gaming experience:
“You have a glimpse at what could happen with SmartGlass from Microsoft. Microsoft is also moving in to mobile – we can look at what they and Google are doing – those guys are trying to consider the universe we inhabit. Being connected, playing with your friends on any device – consoles can continue to improve that experience and make sure it’s more believable, that you’re immersed in those worlds. The potential is there, with everything that’s been created in the last seven years, to give us new sensations.”
However, Guillemot also believes that the future may be in Free-To-Play games which means less big games being published:
“With next gen consoles, it’s going toward bigger games, and yes, we will make less of them. But with free-to-play games, the teams aren’t as big so we can try different things and find subjects that are of interest to consumers. We announced Mighty Quest for Epic Loot last week, and we are announcing new types of games. This new environment is actually giving us the chance – because we’re reaching new consumers – to develop new types of game brand and experience. What I like about the FTP model is that you are with your consumers all the time – you can spend six months refining the gameplay and then put it in another environment, another title, because you automatically know it works well.”
Will you be happier with bigger but fewer games on the Playstation 4 and the Xbox 720? Do you agree that Free-To-Play is the future of gaming? Speak your mind in the comments below!