Watch Dogs downgrade backlash forced Ubisoft to change policy on pre-release footage

Watch Dogs downgrade backlash forced Ubisoft to change policy on pre-release footage
James Orry Updated on by

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The backlash towards Watch Dogs and its apparent ‘downgrade’ forced Ubisoft to reassess how it goes about showing off pre-release games, CEO Yves Guillemot has said.

“With E3 2015 we said, OK, let’s make sure the games are playable, that they’re running on the target machines,” Guillemot told The Guardian. “When we show something, we ask the team, make sure it’s playable, make sure gamers can immediately see exactly what it is. That’s what we learned from the Watch Dogs experience – if it can’t be played on the target machine, it can be a risk.”

Still, Guillemot puts some of Watch Dogs’ issues down to trying to create a ground-breaking experience for undefined early hardware.

“It’s a real challenge to create those types of games,” he continued. “When they come out, especially the first iterations, they are not perfect on everything. We think we launched a good quality game for a first step in a new brand with a new technology. It’s just so complex – seamless multiplayer, connectivity with mobile and tablets, so many things – it was maybe a bit too much for a first iteration.”

Stating all demos were running on target hardware does, however, put pressure on Ubisoft’s titles – RB6 Siege, AC Syndicate, The Division, For Honor and Ghost Recon Wildlands – to launch without noticeable downgrades.

Source: The Guardian