Ubisoft's European chief Alain Corre has told MCV that pre-orders of cross-gen titles Watch_Dogs and Asassin's Creed 4: Black Flag are actually higher on PS4 and Xbox One despite current systems have significant install bases.
“The fans are really excited to get their hands on the new technology,” Corre commented. “It has been eight years without a home console from Sony or Microsoft so we feel a lot of excitement from our fans for Watch_Dogs or Assassin’s Creed 4. The pre-orders we are getting are much bigger on our next-gen games.
“So we feel that the transition might be quicker. There is a real appetite for change.”
Speaking about Ubisoft's own AAA titles this year he said, “We expect Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag to be well accepted. When we look at our pre-orders on next-gen, we think these two games can feature in the Top Five.
“There is a number of good quality products at launch [for each console]. I think that will bring back a lot of lapsed gamers and it will also seduce new consumers to spend some more time on interactive entertainment.
“So we’re full of confidence heading into 2014,” he concluded.
Watch_Dogs is set for release on PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on November 22nd. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will be launched on October 29th in North America and on November 1st in Europe for the same platforms.
