In a new financial report, Ubisoft explains to its investors which risks can lead games to fail, and your feedback is part of that.
What kind of report is this? As a major gaming company, Ubisoft is also publicly traded. This means that anyone who wants to can purchase shares of the company. In order for shareholders to know which risks affect the company and how it is currently performing, the company regularly publishes new financial reports.
The current report (via Ubisoft.com) goes into great detail regarding the risks of developing new games. Your expectations and feedback are one of many reasons that can lead a new game to fail.
Many risks in game development
Which risks stand out? Ubisoft addresses many of the risks in game development in its report (via Ubisoft.com). It describes that simultaneous releases, issues with server providers, or new legislation pose risks for new titles.
Some of the risks, the company writes, also lie with the player. The company states in the financial report: “In a highly competitive environment where players pay much attention to the quality and content of the games, the success of a video game depends as much on the efficiency of its development process as it does on its market release.”
Furthermore, Ubisoft mentions factors that should not suit you in new titles. These include bugs and poor (server) performance in the first hours of gameplay, promises that did not make it into the final game, lower quality of the title than previously communicated, or when the competition offers a comparable, better product.
Even when games are released too early and are not yet refined, or when they are sold too expensively, Ubisoft claims that this can lead to problems with the community.
What impact do comments have? If something about the title does not suit you for any of the reasons mentioned above, or even for a completely different issue, you let Ubisoft know. Accordingly, comments from players, videos from influencers, or poor reviews from the press are another risk factor for Ubisoft.
Similarly, the launch of a video game can be affected by […] negative reviews, whether from the press or from players, which are amplified through social media and review platforms, potentially damaging the game’s image or even the brand’s reputation.
Ubisoft in its financial report at Ubisoft.com
Above all, the so-called “bashing” is a risk for Ubisoft. This does not refer to individual or constructive critiques, but rather to “massive, often intense, and organized campaigns of criticism against its [Ubisoft’s] products, teams, or public statements”.
These frequently occur “in social media, on content-sharing platforms, or in certain specialized media, particularly following strategic decisions, technical issues with games, or statements perceived as controversial by certain segments of the public,” Ubisoft writes in the report (via Ubisoft.com).
According to Ubisoft, “the changed perception of the video game industry as a cultural and artistic medium […] has also led to an increase in criticism [of Ubisoft]”.
Ubisoft sees its analysis accordingly considering shitstorms
as a risk, which, according to the report, can not only damage a game release but, in the worst case, also harm Ubisoft’s image. These could diminish customers’, business partners’, and other stakeholders’ impressions of the brand, Ubisoft writes.
Ubisoft clearly describes in its report that the video game market is changing and that buyers are becoming more sensitive about which products they buy and when a title becomes successful. Just recently, Ubisoft ensured further fan outrage: Gamers are currently upset with Ubisoft because they demand that you destroy games – but that is common practice
