Ubisoft Acknowledges Watch_Dogs was a Mistake, Maybe Corrects It?

Ubisoft, of course, has become the latest and so far greatest whipping boy in the industry, for taking up a mantle EA has been slowly disrobing and earning the ire of just about every gamer, games journalist, and gaming-approximate human being who happens to notice them. But its less because theyre especially bad and more because they often exemplify the qualities of the games industry people hate most: for instance, how they treat trade shows. Who here remembers Watch_Dogs? Decent game, but if you believed Ubisofts hype following the reveal youd think this game was the literal second coming of Christ. It was a bit of a let down, especially when it was discovered the rather breathtaking EA demo from all those years ago was more doctored than a diabetic returning from Candyland.

Well, in a recent interview with The Guardian, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot lamented on Watch_Dogs a bit, and where things may have gone wrong.

"It's a real challenge to create those types of games When they come out, especially the first iterations, they are not perfect on everything. We think we launched a good quality game for a first step in a new brand with a new technology. It's just so complex - seamless multiplayer, connectivity with mobile and tablets, so many things - it was maybe a bit too much for a first iteration."

He continued to say that the fact that most all of Ubisofts games were in a playable state at this year's E3 was directly due to the Watch_Dogs kerfuffle, and that if the demo cant be played on the target machine, it can be a risk." He concluded his point by saying hed like to focus more attention on games like Child of Light and Valiant Hearts (both excellent games, by the way), as theyve been very successful, were low-budget, and (if I might add) at least something a little different.

Now, does this mean anything? No, not really. Bad game companies function like bad partners, theyre trapped in a cycle of abuse and apologies designed to keep us coming back. Even an actually playable Demo, like what Ubisoft brought to this years E3, can basically be designed from the ground up and be unrepresentative of the final product.

But, like always, the silver lining is that it at least means theyre aware that there was controversy. Which means theyre aware they have problems, and, maybe one day, will lead to them actually changing. Just dont get too many black eyes waiting for it to happen.