Ubisoft is treating games like a children’s playground – they’re just not complete without a sandbox. In fact, Ubisoft is convinced that open worlds are what gamers really want – just look at their upcoming titles like ACIV, Watch Dogs, The Division, Far Cry 3 and The Crew! But they also want you to be always-online.
The editorial department at Ubisoft meets with each studio to guide their direction and game play. Studios still have creative control, but there is definitely an over-riding influence from the editorial department – and they push for sandbox and open world. Julian Gerighty, creative director for The Crew, explains that living worlds are the future of gaming, but that they will require some upgrades by gamers:
“When the 360 and PS3 came out, I still had a cathode ray tube TV at home. I upgraded to an HD TV for that generation. This generation for me is always going to be about this seamless online and what better way to make that live than open world games.”
Gerighty says that gamers will become less reluctant about always being connected while gaming. Over time, he says that players will get more used to the idea and it will just become a standard feature in games. I suppose now we know who was pushing Microsoft for the always online aspect.
So, it’s time for gamers to stop complaining about games that are always online. With upgrading to next-gen consoles, we need to upgrade to next-gen internet. Although for me, that means I’ll need to start toyitoying outside my complex – no service delivery or infrastructure here!
Last Updated: July 19, 2013
Tarisma
July 19, 2013 at 11:36
So gamers want MMO’s and MMO’s with living worlds?
So he’s saying gamers want guild wars 2?
Not sure advertising another company’s product is in their best interest?
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 19, 2013 at 11:37
Arrogance LvL over 9000
Sir Twakkus
July 19, 2013 at 11:40
Its mind boggling! I wonder how they decide this? Do a bunch of executives sit and just fart these random ideas out or do they actually do a study? My money is on the former… ridiculous.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 19, 2013 at 11:44
It’s all justification so they can implement Always-Online…..the end is nigh
Sir Twakkus
July 19, 2013 at 12:02
It is crazy… the more these ridiculous “advancements” in gaming are made, the less I see myself gaming in the future.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:02
You are not alone man. I don’t want another Diablo3 experience.
Kromas
July 19, 2013 at 11:51
It is a phenomena that I call the Depp effect (no relation to Mass Effect).The Depp effect states that if something or someone does really well it is warranted to keep producing slightly different copies cause it will inherently also do well. Johnny Depp made money in Pirates and now he is in every single blockbuster movie. Lone ranger wanted me too hang myself but I can’t since I have to stay alive for HL3 and Beyond 2. The Depp effect they take from here is GTA and Skyrim.
Sir Twakkus
July 19, 2013 at 12:02
Deep man, btw I am so going to steal that! 😉
Kromas
July 19, 2013 at 11:40
Half Life 3 should be linear and offline! Nuff said.
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 19, 2013 at 11:43
Well, not TOO linear
Kromas
July 19, 2013 at 11:46
Not TOO sandboxy … is that even a word? yes I don’t care …. sandboxy!
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:57
Well, we are all going to use it now. So it’s definitely a word now
Kromas
July 19, 2013 at 12:05
Sandboxy: Word describing how much open a gameworld is.
eg:
Goldilocks tried Mommy Bears game but found it not sandboxy enough.
She then tried Daddy Bears game but found it too sandboxy.
Then she accessed Baby bears pc and found he hacked valves servers and got an early Beta of HL3 and found it just sanboxy enough.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:08
Hahaha. Upvotes be had!
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 11:40
STOP TELLING US THAT WHAT YOU WANT IS WHAT WE WANT. (Caps not by accident)
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:56
ALL CAPS RAAAAAGE!
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 12:00
It makes me mad I say, MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:02
Madness? NO! THIS…IS…SPAAARTAAAAAAA!!!!
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 12:07
Let me get my abs on
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:08
hahahahaha
Skyblue
July 19, 2013 at 12:26
You’re doing it wrong
CrasH
July 19, 2013 at 12:37
You want to know my secret?
I am always MAD…
HULK SMASH
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 19, 2013 at 11:43
Puff puff pass?
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 11:54
More like
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:56
Nope. Not even.
It’s more like this:
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7ohne1bXJ1qb4z30o1_1280.jpg
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 11:59
So true, dogs can’t use Win 7, should have gone with Win 8 & a touch screen 😀
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:00
But that’s why they made Win8 didn’t you know? Not for people who want to use it but for those who can’t and have no need to.
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 12:01
Maybe the whole situation has been devised by cats. Conspiracy!
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:01
Sageville
July 19, 2013 at 13:12
Yah neh, then you’ll need to keep tabs on your internet history…
http://www.alwaysinheat.com
http://www.woofers.com
http://www.easybitches.com
http://www.legshaggers.com
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 13:27
I won’t click those because I’m afraid they may actually be real 🙁
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:44
Clearly this guy does NOT have internet himself or he would know that even people with internet aren’t happy with this idea not because we are reluctant over being online but because service delivery from ISP’s and CRAPPY SERVERS cause hassles and turn a fun game in to a headache!
Come on! Stop being so arrogant!
Vampyre Squirrel
July 19, 2013 at 11:46
Always-on… Ubi failed with that at Assassin’s Creed 2 for the PC… so I ended up getting it for the Xbox360… which is why I have the White and Black editions 😛
I don’t mind open worlds, I actually enjoy them, but the always on, always logging, always slamming your face against the wall thing really bugs me…
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:47
I enjoy open worlds. Just not always online
Vampyre Squirrel
July 19, 2013 at 12:38
Yeah, the freedom is awesome. The always online stuff screws you over if your dsl line is down or their servers have issues, or an anchor hits a cable in the Mediterranean sea or something.
For example, I couldn’t play Assassin’s Creed 2 on the PC for 2 weeks (after launch… yes I pre-ordered Black Edition) because they had a server issue, which meant it wouldn’t launch the game at all. Then to top it all off, after that (and quite a few hours of playing) I had to reload my PC, but couldn’t load AC2 again because of their DRM… their support guys basically told me that I’d have to go BUY a new copy of the game if they couldn’t fix it on their side… I laughed at them and told them to fly a kite in a thunder storm.
So I got the X360 version after a friend’s console was stolen and stopped having those issues.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 12:46
Yeah dude. I still can’t fully enjoy Diablo3 because of latency. The moment I rubberband and die I simply rage quit because it’s just too frustrating to deal with.
Vampyre Squirrel
July 19, 2013 at 13:56
I never had an issue with latency on D3… but that was a while ago… but I’d get bored and bored quit lol
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 11:51
It all depends on how they implement the open world or always online parts. If it makes the game better, great. If it doesn’t – then you can piss off. I’m not going to buy a game because of a bullet point that says “open world” or “online”, I’m going to buy it because it looks fun.
Dark Souls is a good example of always online done in an interesting way. Borderlands is another – the game is meant to be co-op, and it is fun playing with friends, but you can also solo it & it’s still fun. I don’t want to be forced to play with other people because someone has decreed that I will have fun doing so whether I like it or not. Or else go straight to bed without dessert.
Sandboxes can be fun if the content they fill it with is interesting – but at the same time I like having a goal. It’s nice to wander off & explore, or play mini-games, but for me that’s an extra to the aforementioned FFD story part.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:51
By the way, upgrading to an HD TV is a once off cost. Upgrading to better, faster internet is a monthly drain on the pocket. Not the same thing.
Do these guys even a PR team that check what they want to say before they do?
Zoe, don’t toyitoyi outside your complex. Toyitoyi outside Ubisoft and EA’s offices instead. They the ones we should be angry at
TiMsTeR1033
July 19, 2013 at 13:12
We dont have decent bandwidth and decent prices and wont until telkom lets us, and they better hurry up and make it affordable. We wouldnt need to toyi toi outside anywhere if it wasnt for shiity Telkom!
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 11:56
Is it my imagination or does it seem that every single time someone from MS, EA & Ubisoft open their mouths to talk about what gamers want, the first response from every gamer is, “No it’s not.”
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 19, 2013 at 11:57
I’m pretty sure you are correct.
I just wonder if they even realise people are saying this
Zoe
July 19, 2013 at 12:02
it certainly does seem that way.
Anon A Mouse
July 19, 2013 at 12:04
This…
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 19, 2013 at 12:15
You know I do agree with the fact that as time goes on we will have less and less of a problem with always being connected. It does make sense that future technologies will make it alot easier, even in 3rd world countries.
That said……WE ARE NOT THERE YET YOU UBISOFT!!! Are you seriously telling me that after ALLLL the backlash with the XboxOne and its always Online policies, you STILL THINK ITS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO RIGHT NOW ?!?!?!?
Ubisoft just went full retard…….
Sir Twakkus
July 19, 2013 at 12:23
Went right over their heads.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 19, 2013 at 12:38
I am upvoting you because your never Avatar pic is amazing.
Sir Twakkus
July 19, 2013 at 13:03
And I am upvoting you because reasons.
Galbedir
July 19, 2013 at 12:39
While I am a fan of open world games…I’d rather take a great storyline to get immersed in then an open world. I find most open world games lack alittle on the story side, while a few manage to find balance in the two (Fallout 3).
Jonah Cash
July 19, 2013 at 12:41
I don’t mind always on games, just give me the choice and freedom to be able to play the game without the online bit as well!!! I play Fifa online, but I also play career mode offline….
Choice, that is all we ask!!!
Sageville
July 19, 2013 at 13:08
I was typing your thoughts, then I read them, weird.
Jonah Cash
July 19, 2013 at 16:13
That only confirms that great minds do think alike!! Hahahahaha
Theo Steenekamp
July 19, 2013 at 12:47
Situation as it stands. From my POV that is.
Trevor Davies
July 19, 2013 at 13:03
I’m torn between laughing my arse off & going “oooooooh owwwwwww!”
Sageville
July 19, 2013 at 13:07
Nature is beautiful neh!
TiMsTeR1033
July 19, 2013 at 13:09
looks very painful! poor squirrle but in GTA 5 if they running around ill blow them balls off and give em a new arsehole! LMFAO!
TiMsTeR1033
July 19, 2013 at 13:07
how can Farcry 3 be on this list? its out since last year!
www.mindofmike.tk
July 20, 2013 at 02:17
Always online isn’t a problem for me. Its the future. The only problem is bricking the console if for what ever reason, your internet is off. Why not just leave it how it is. Pay for playing online. Retards.