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Ubisoft says the only games worth making are blockbuster franchises

Ubisoft says the only games worth making are blockbuster franchises

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Ubisoft stock
Ubisoft stock

Ubisoft is only interested in releasing video games that can be developed into successful (and lucrative) franchises. Tony Key, the publisher's VP of sales and marketing, made that message abundantly clear in a recent interview with A List Daily. "That's what all our games are about; we won't even start if we don't think we can build a franchise out of it," Key said. "There's no more fire and forget — it's too expensive." Key had been discussing the massive promotional muscle that Ubisoft had put behind Assassin's Creed 3, and expressed hope that Watch Dogs (bound for next-gen consoles this fall) has the makings of another multi-release saga. The publisher is feeling confident it's on the right path, but Keys says, "until we're the biggest game of the year we're not going to be satisfied."

"You're making a huge bet on the development side, you've got to be all in," he said. "It became very clear to us about two years ago that this is a blockbuster world we live in now." Despite its free-spending approach to marketing, Ubisoft hasn't been immune to producing a flop now and again. Earlier this month, the company lamented that ZombiU, a launch title for Nintendo's latest console — and one of the best demonstrations of the hardware's capabilities — has been a colossal failure. As a result, Ubisoft won't be publishing a sequel for the well-regarded survival horror game. It's also decided to expand availability of Rayman Legends to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 after originally announcing the title as a Wii U exclusive.