Tony Key, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at Ubisoft, already said last week that we could expect to see another entry into the Far Cry franchise following the success of 3. Now, talking to GI.biz, he has said “it became very clear to us about two years ago that this is a blockbuster world we live in now.”
Just taking a look at some of Ubisoft’s upcoming titles reveals Watch Dogs (or Watch_Dogs), The Crew, The Division, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and a couple more Assassin’s Creed games in development. Clearly, these are all blockbuster titles, with Tony answering if he believes Watch Dogs is the foundation of a big franchise:
Absolutely. 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. There’s no more fire and forget – it’s too expensive.
We feel like we’re in a really good place with Watch Dogs, but until we’re the biggest game of the year we’re not going to be satisfied.
Last year we cleaned up at E3 because we were pretty much the only next-gen game around. Watch Dogs for us is really a franchise because we’re tapping into something people really care about, never more than when the NSA PRISM scandal broke.
Considering how much money and time Ubisoft puts behind their blockbuster titles, don’t be surprised if you eventually see sequels to Watch Dogs, The Division, and The Crew.
If Watch Dogs is a huge success, do you think it would become another annualized franchise? Let us know in the comments below.
