Watch_Dogs forced a policy change at Ubisoft. Photo Source: watchdogs.ubi.com
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemont admitted that the backlash surrounding Watch-Dogs' downgraded graphics has prompted the company to re-examine its policies regarding pre-release footage.
Back in 2012, the debut trailer for Watch_Dogs stunned the gaming world with its graphical fidelity. However, with each new trailer and gameplay demonstration, it became clear that the graphical quality of the finished product would not be on par with what was shown at E3 2012. Speaking to The Guardian, Yves Guillemont explained that the criticism levied against the game's downgraded graphics has led the company to change their policy on pre-release footage. That is why at this year's E3, all of Ubisoft's titles outside of Ghost Recon Wildlands were playable on the show floor and ran on target machines.
With E3 2015 we said, OK, let’s make sure the games are playable, that they’re running on the target machines. When we show something, we ask the team, make sure it’s playable, make sure gamers can immediately see exactly what it is. That’s what we learned from the Watch Dogs experience – if it can’t be played on the target machine, it can be a risk.”
However, Yves also defended Watch_Dogs by stating that creating a new IP utilizing new technology is always a great challenge.
It's a real challenge to create those types of games. When they come out, especially the first iterations, they are not perfect on everything,” he said.
We think we launched a good quality game for a first step in a new brand with a new technology. It's just so complex – seamless multiplayer, connectivity with mobile and tablets, so many things – it was maybe a bit too much for a first iteration."
Finally, when asked about a sequel to Watch_Dogs, Guillemont neither confirmed nor denied its development, only stating that:
We are continuing to work on everything we created so we can get to the next level.”
Source: The Guardian
