There are certain understandable frustrations in the gaming industry right now that people rightfully worry may not be fixed anytime soon. For example, just in the last few weeks, we’ve had hundreds of layoffs across multiple companies, including Microsoft, with the companies trying to “wave them off” as nothing more than “securing the future” or simply “restructuring” to do better going forward. Then, there are those like Ubisoft, who have long since run dry of the “good faith” that people had in it, thanks to the terrible or mediocre games that the publisher has cranked out in recent years.
Now, though, they’re really putting their foot in their mouths via a recent financial briefing, where the company tried to make the claim that for its single-player experiences, microtransactions make the game “more fun.” Yes, they really said that, and here’s the quote:
“At Ubisoft, the golden rule when developing premium games is to allow players to enjoy the game in full without having to spend more. Our monetization offer within premium games makes the player experience more fun by allowing them to personalize their avatars or progress more quickly, however, this is always optional.”
Clearly, they need to relearn the definition of “more fun,” because just about every gamer in the world feels that microtransactions are lame and exploitative, as you’ve already paid for the single-player title in question more times than not, and now, the developer/publisher is asking you to pay MORE just to get a “few extra things.” Furthermore, those customization options or “boosts to progress more quickly” can be found in other single-player titles at no extra cost! That alone suggests that the company is more driven by greed than by creating good games.
That is backed up by another thing stated at the financial briefing, where CEO Yves Guillemot said the reason Star Wars Outlaws failed wasn’t solely because of the game itself, but because “the franchise was in choppy waters.” Except that’s not accurate in certain ways, nor does it excuse Ubisoft for making “yet another bland title” that didn’t try to innovate or be more than what they had done in the past. Yves himself noted the quality wasn’t fully there, so that should’ve taken the full brunt of the blame. Instead, he blamed the IP and the fans within its community.
It’s troubling when a group can’t admit its own flaws and attempt to move on, and that’s why Ubisoft is in the position it’s in right now.
