Ubisoft Hoping For Shorter Console Life-Cycles
While the Wii U may have ushered in the start of the next generation of consoles, the fact remains that at this time Sony and Microsoft have dominated the “hardcore” gaming market for over 6-7 years with their PS3 and Xbox 360. And while they might be practically dinosaurs, at least as far as computers and modern technology is concerned, it’s easy to say that those consoles will still be at the forefront for at least another year, or perhaps even two. Eight or nine years is a long time for a console to be considered “top-of-the-line”, especially when you consider that the average console generation lasts for perhaps half that amount of time.
While companies like Microsoft and Sony might be happy at having such old consoles be so popular, Ubisoft isn’t so pleased. According toe CEO Yves Guillemot, at the end of a consoles life-cycle the market dips a bit, as people are less willing to take a risk at making brand new IPs. Instead, companies would rather take those kinds of risks at the start of a new console, as hardcore gamers “want new things”, not just a console, but games as well.
In the end, Guillemot wants consoles to come out more often, and I can’t say I blame him. After all, it seems like for a few years there hasn’t exactly been a whole lot of new, original games have that come out. Instead, we’ve seen sequel after sequel, remake after remake, and it’s getting kind of old. Here’s hoping that at this time next year we’ll be seeing the next generation of Xbox’s and PlayStations to complement the Wii U!
