The future is a scary place. Rumors of always-online consoles that will require a steady internet connection to even boot a game up have caused consumers to grow concerned over what the next generation of hardware holds, but the CEO of Ubisoft Montreal believes that the audience is ready for this shift.
Ubisoft’s Yannis Mallat recently spoke to The Guardian about anything and everything related to the past, present, and future of the highly successful French studio. Technology was a major topic during the interview, and some of the most interesting information was spoken when Mallat was asked about connected experiences.
“We have to craft our experiences around the way people are now consuming entertainment,” Mallat said. “For example, with the online multiplayer aspects of a game, we can say – and this is true already of Watch_Dogs – that the next generation will help us to blur the lines between on and offline play and between single and multiplayer.
The Guardian shifted the conversation from games to hardware, and even asked the CEO if we’re ready for a console that requires an always-online connection.
“Well, that's a question you should put to Microsoft and Sony!” he said. “I would say that a lot of people are already always online through other devices – I would suspect that the audience is ready.”
This information comes not long after the rumor that both Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Watch_Dogs will require a steady internet connection to play. Twitter user “superannuation” was first to deliver this information, which has yet to be confirmed by Ubisoft.