Publisher also setting its sights on multiplayer.
by Jim Reilly 
February 9, 2010 - Fans should probably expect a healthy dose of Assassin's Creed every year. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated during today's financial call that the publisher is looking to release its big franchises more frequently on top of its lineup of new titles.
"Our clear goal today is to come more regularly with our top brands. For example, it took three to four years to come back with Splinter Cell, Driver, Prince of Persia, or Ghost Recon. We believe we can launch them more often without risk of brand fatigue, said Guillemot.
"This commitment to our franchises does not mean we won't continue to launch new franchises, as certain projects have been under development for some time, and two new titles will be launched in 2011 and 2012."
The publisher is expected to release a new Assassin's Creed title late this year, perhaps signaling it has now become an annual franchise.
In the same call, Ubisoft's chief financial officer Alain Martinez pointed to the annual Raving Rabbids series as evidence of the effectiveness of this plan.
"When you add up the three Raving Rabbids games over the years, what we are seeing are the total amount of units going up," said Martinez. "Assassin's Creed has kept selling and is still one of our best sellers. Bringing a game regularly is actually maintaining a better sell of your back catalog because you are more present and people will buy the new title or the cheaper, cost-effective ones.
Guillemot also highlighted that Ubisoft is focusing on adding a multiplayer component to all of its brands going forward.
"We've made big investments to make sure all of our brands could become multiplayer," said Guillemot. "We're coming out with Driver, Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed, and Ghost Recon, which will all have multiplayer."
"Those games will take full advantage of the ability to play with friends, either over the internet or locally at home. We are putting a lot of emphasis on that subject to make sure our games can be played by more people together," he added. "It's also a key factor for the relationship we have with our customers on a long-term basis."
MovieMiguel.com
