Despite Ubisoft’s statements to the contrary, the retail release of Watch Dogs was unquestionably “downgraded” in the visuals department when compared to its E3 2012 reveal. Revealed a year later, Ubisoft’s The Division similarly wowed. And it likewise has many fearing that it too will see a significant drop on visual fidelity when its released. Ubisoft says that won’t be the case.
In an interview with Angry Joe, The Division’s Game Director Ryan Barnard said that users shouldn’t worry about any sort of downgrade – and that high end PC’s may in fact end up looking better than the reveal.
"We get that a lot,” Barnard told Angry Joe. “I think the problem with having an engine like Snowdrop where the graphical fidelity is so high, that of course you’re going to have those concerns. You know, we’re working really hard, especially this year, what we brought is the look that you’ll have on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. PC might even be able to push it."
This comes before an anonymous, apparent insider has already said that the game’s already been downgraded – so that console players don’t feel like they’re getting the shaft.
“There is definitely a lot of push coming from publishers to not make the experience so different on consoles as to alienate people into thinking that next generation is not as powerful as PC,” said the apparent developer. “This is probably what happened at Ubisoft Montreal. I think that while making stability changes is definitely important, it does not completely obliterate a lot of enhanced rendering applications.”
Mayhaps it’s my head, but what we saw of The Division, other than that incredible, straight-for-the-heart trailer, already seemed to be slightly downgraded from the initial reveal. What do you think? Will The Division look as good as Ubisoft promises?
Last Updated: June 25, 2014
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 10:36
Wow – Ubi are really nailing it with the bad press this month. Good job marketing team!
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 10:43
While EA spent this whole month admitting to mistakes.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
June 25, 2014 at 10:37
“Mayhaps it’s my head, but what we saw of The Division, other than that incredible, straight-for-the-heart trailer, already seemed to be slightly downgraded from the initial reveal. What do you think? Will The Division look as good as Ubisoft promises?”
Nope… because Ubisoft!
Liquid Kaz (Umar)
June 25, 2014 at 10:41
Anything Ubi these days gives me a headache
http://1-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/a/image/1351/96/1351965970091.jpg
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 10:42
“There is definitely a lot of push coming from publishers to not make the
experience so different on consoles as to alienate people into thinking
that next generation is not as powerful as PC”
This!
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 10:50
I think a lot of people were expecting a graphical leap equivalent to the last time they released new consoles. Just not going to happen to that extent because current stuff already does look really good.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 11:10
It does look good, most games on the PS4 looks better than the PS3 if you look at Infamous or Tomb Raider. Sure consoles use their hardware more efficient than PCs yet PC gaming already trumped console specs before either was released.
Games will always look better on PC. The publishers knows this and they are selling games for a lot more on consoles than on PC. That’s where they make their cash. Hence they want games to look as close to the console version as possible and why they delay it for PC release
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:16
Yes, but what I meant is not to the extent of PS2 to PS3. Most people remember the last PS2 & PS3 games they played & expect the same change in graphics quality immediately. I’m not even bringing PC into it.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 11:25
I am, because PC is baws. Games are cheaper and they look better. Plus I’m a dipshit when it comes to FPS with a controller.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 10:49
What’s the problem? All you have to do is have a look at the programme folders, find one that was WARNING NOT FOR USE NOW unpack it, and boom, better looks.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 10:51
Just remember to go into command prompt & fdisk your c drive to make more space Rince.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 10:53
Hahahaha
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 25, 2014 at 10:56
XD!!!!
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 11:05
I’ll command prompt your Fdick boy not that I need to as there is plenty of free space down there 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:08
Now you’re just talking DOS-ty to tease me you naughty man you.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 11:09
Alas, no matter what I CMD I only get a floppy in return 0-O
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:09
That’s because Ubisoft didn’t have enough funds to develop you properly.
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 11:11
No, it’s because your operating system contains a virus.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:13
I think you’re getting confused with anti-virus. It’s a good thing for me 😉
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 11:14
Well all I can say is your malEware isn’t working, BOOM! 😉
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:18
It’s working perfectly fine because (technically) you’re a male & that’s how it’s designed to work.
Admiral Chief Cyber Commando
June 25, 2014 at 10:50
Ubisoft, either you die a respected company, or you live long enough to see yourself becoming EA…
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 10:56
Ubisoft = Two Face
Brady miaau
June 25, 2014 at 12:40
so a Batman game then?
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 12:45
Hehe, No. He was quoting Harvey Dent who became Two Face and I’m calling Ubisoft Two Faced
Rince&exhale
June 25, 2014 at 11:12
Ouch. Wise words.
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 10:50
Lots of hate and distrust after the Watch Dogs lies lies lies and more lies.
But guess what? gamers being gamers will pre-order in troves.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 10:53
Don’t be a sheep.
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 11:01
lol It will break Assassins Creed 3 and Watch Dogs sales records combined. Even if the game is shit with a milked sequel ending with no conclusion.
The UBISOFT marketing team are the best.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
June 25, 2014 at 11:02
Unfortunately, take EA and Battlefield Hardline, after BF4 you’d think gamers would have wisened up, but alas…. the fools will eat it up even though it’s just a skin mod.
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 11:05
Its the school playground mentality. I got it first I got it first I got it first. Then all the other kids follow. Thats why all of these games are social on-line murder sims. Word of the social mouth gets sales, and thanks to the internet it escalates even more.
I got the BETA, I got the next COD. Meanwhile its just cut and paste with a number slapped on the end. We can thank Pokemons success for that.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:21
I think you mean MARIO! *run*
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 11:05
Gaming isn’t as fun as it used to be. Games are expensive and buggy. Hardware and TVs is expensive. Internet is expensive but required. No local servers for majority of games. No PS Now. Companies patching games left and right. Stupid DLC is common place. Season passes increases games cost two fold…..
Sigh. I blame the internet. Before everything was online or required to be online. We had LANs, we had couch co-op, when we bought a game we owned that game. Yes the internet has massive benefits but its not beneficial for me, I still prefer SP because of our limitations MP isn’t as fun as it is overseas.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 11:12
There’s lots of shit that’s changed, much of it not for the better like the stuff you said, but I still have tons of fun playing games & for every bad apple there’s a good one.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 11:14
Yeah, that’s true. Only it seems there are way more bad apples in the basket than there used to.
Anon A Mouse
June 25, 2014 at 13:20
I still get the occasional couch co-op with the fairer sex.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 13:21
Hahahaha good man
Praise Lord GabeN
June 25, 2014 at 11:37
“what we brought is the look that you’ll have on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. PC might even be able to push it”
How is it that the PC “might” push it? If the PC ends up looking like the consoles then it’s obviously a shitty port. I’m not sure that his statement gives me any reassurance.
Brenz
June 25, 2014 at 11:56
Its blatant lying in order to fuel the hype train, then a quick couple excuses when they cant deliver.
“Fuck the gamers, those gullible fuckers will eat up our lies like fat kid birthday cake, and then thank us afterward.”
Thankfully I think all the Ass Creep games are steaming piles of shit so I don’t buy into that yearly cash cow. When did this industry become so corrupt that having a hobby like gaming wasn’t even safe anymore.
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 12:03
It has always been the same greedy business. We just did not have the internet while growing up to have everything as transparent as it is today. Either way humans forget very quickly and will be fooled more than once.
oVg FX
June 25, 2014 at 12:24
I am divided over this title.
Alien Emperor Trevor
June 25, 2014 at 12:25
Don’t be. It’s a shooter which means it’s ZZZzzzzZZZzzz BLACK out boring ZZZzzzZZZ ;P
Mabenito
June 25, 2014 at 12:32
The E3 gameplay demo was played on a PS4.
Hammersteyn
June 25, 2014 at 12:45
Looked awesome
Mabenito
June 25, 2014 at 13:19
On the new gameplay demo, watch Ryan and Megan change skills (2:46),LB and RB appears on the skills menu. I also think Xbox can pull the same quality gameplay because of the new engine.
But Watch Dogs demos were mostly on PC (demo/game-play) and then downgraded for stability related issues.
Remember this game is on a new, untested, unreleased engine. People are panicing over nothing. Keep Calm People, All Is Well With Ubi.
MakeItLegal
June 25, 2014 at 13:00
pc gsmers get the lube , we getting fked again o/
Galbedir
June 25, 2014 at 13:13
Everytime I read one of these articles about how games like Watch Dogs and The Division are getting downgraded graphically or have been, due to console players not feeling like their getting shafted…I just think back to all the Sony and Xbox fanboys before the consoles were released, saying how Superior the new consoles will be to PC, and that graphically they will be on par/better. I’ve been hugely disappointed by the “Next Gen” consoles. Although I know PC will always be the superior graphically…I still didn’t think that the games would need downgrading for consoles. Not even slightly interested in buying any of the new consoles at this stage. Viva la MasterRace!
Anon A Mouse
June 25, 2014 at 13:17
I’m just as surprised. If the downgrading starts this early in the cycle, what’s going to happen a year or two down the road?
Brian Murphy
June 25, 2014 at 15:51
“We get that a lot,” Barnard told Angry Joe. “I think the problem with having an engine like Snowdrop where the graphical fidelity is so high, that of course you’re going to have those concerns. You know, we’re working really hard, especially this year, what we brought is the look that you’ll have on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. PC might even be able to push it.”
Bullshit, you get that allot because your history is tarnished by fucking the PC user’s over. And not just cutting things out during dev, oh no, you’ll actually program all the bells and whistles PC’s are capable of employing, and then CUT THEM OUT. I refer to Watch Dogs, as a case study.
Here’s the thing, why don’t you just say you care about maximizing console performance? Why don’t you just say that you’d much rather people buy games on console? Why lie about it, so continuously and so blatantly? This isn’t just about Watch Dogs, Ubisoft has a very long and established track record of blaming PC’s users for this, and shady PC practices for that.
Just come out and say it, stop lying, it only makes it worse and more insulting. Look up Jim Sterling’s video on “Ubisoft – A Sad History of PC Failures”, he provides quite a bit of history to this situation.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/9462-Ubisoft-A-Sad-History-of-PC-Failures
PC Gamer’s – Fuck Ubisoft, buy something else.
Skyblue
June 25, 2014 at 22:18
Thx, so happy to see fellow gamers sharing my opinion of those #%&*s
N7Paladin
June 25, 2014 at 19:35
well it doesn’t matter anyways, after the watch dogs filth I will never buy another ubisoft game again. This means I have to walk away from my beloved splinter cell series then so be it.
Skyblue
June 25, 2014 at 20:39
Fuck you Ubisoft, go back to Mordor. You are all that is wrong with the gaming world and compared to you EA are just dark riders.
Mauro Lord
June 27, 2014 at 07:08
Don’t need to say such things, we all know the consoles have some sort of financial agenda going on, and the PC is the always their main concern about who is looking good. Piracy worries my ass. Anyway, why should I care for Ubi? Their games are all repeatedly Le Parkour and their main character are always boring. Good old times when Sam Fisher was unique.