While this console generation might be the longest one we've seen, it's hard to argue that most people nowadays are longing for next-gen gaming to come around. Not just from a technical standpoint, but from new, creative IPs, too.
This way of thinking is not lost on Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. In a chat with Gamasutra, Guillemot admits, "What we missed was a new console every five years…We have been penalized by the lack of new consoles on the market. I understand the manufacturers don't want them too often because it's expensive, but it's important for the entire industry to have new consoles because it helps creativity."
How does creativity tie into this? Guillemot explains that "It's a lot less risky for us to create new IPs and new products when we're in the beginning of a new generation." He thinks that customers that are buying in to the next-generation will be more open to new things, and adds, "Our customers are reopening their minds — and they are really going after what's best. … At the end of a console generation, they want new stuff, but they don't buy new stuff as much. They know their friends will play Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed so they go for that. So the end of a cycle is very difficult."
Guillemot does have a point, no? Why would they, EA or other publishers invest and create new franchises now when people won't play them? This is the same reason why we're seeing an overdose of sequels now, publishers are not willing to experiment much and I expect this to contine until the next-gen rolls around.
Are you ready for next-gen to come in or should we give the PS3, Xbox 360 a few more years?
