Ubisoft Explains Why Launch Games Rarely Get Good Reviews

Not all launch games are bad. Every once in a while, a new console hits retailers with a piece of software that’s like nothing that’s been seen before, showcasing what can be done with the extra horsepower. However, most consoles are released with middling games that don’t score high enough to excite the consumers and senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft, Tony Key, explains exactly why this happens to GameIndustry International in a recent interview.

"Right now, all publishers are transitioning their development resources," he said. "For a game like Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, most of the sales are still going to be on current generation platforms. We can't make a version for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One that's so wildly different that we can't market them together.

“So, for now, developers and designers are focused on making a game that works really well on all of the systems – but as we transition resources to the next gen, it's going to be more difficult to do that because the power of these machines is going to allow so much more creativity."

The specs of the consoles don’t often get locked down until late into development, so it’s difficult for creators to determine just what they’ll be working with when all is said and done. Some games step up and actually look like they belong in the future, while others… well, are nothing more than shinier versions of the past.