Sony isn’t quite on top of the world like it was before the launch of the PlayStation 3. Microsoft has hit its stride with the service-based Xbox 360, and while both consoles have reached similar numbers when looking at worldwide hardware sales, the PS3 still has plenty of ground to make up in North America. Because of this, the company has taken a great deal more feedback for its new console, which Ubisoft Toronto claims is an easy platform to develop for.
Jade Raymond, the head of Ubisoft Toronto, recently spoke with Eurogamer about the state of next-generation gaming. Although we haven’t yet seen what Microsoft is working on, Raymond is happy with the direction Sony is heading with its more developer-friendly PlayStation 4. When asked, she agreed with the notion that the architecture is much less complicated than the previous Cell processor.
“Yeah, so far from what we’ve seen, it is true. So that’s really exciting and obviously we’ve been talking to them for a while. What’s great is they’ve really made an effort to be close to all the developers and really take their feedback along with the process,” Raymond said. “Mark Cerny actually came to visit the Ubisoft Montreal studio a couple of times to meet with us in person and have discussions.”
Cerny isn’t just telling developers what to do, though. Sony may have a blueprint for the months leading up to this new console’s launch, but the company is still leaving plenty of room for feedback.
“I’ve known Mark Cerny from being in the industry a long time so it was cool to see him turn up in this new role,” she said. “He came to the studio was chatting with everyone, gave a talk about what they were thinking and was open to discussing changes where he got feedback on things, so I think that’s a new approach, something we’ve never seen before – first-parties taking that much feedback from the developers.”
However, Raymond doesn’t have too much time to dwell on the future. For right now, Ubisoft Toronto is working on Splinter Cell: Blacklist, which will be available on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U August 20.
