CEO Yves Guillemot on Ubisoft’s upcoming portfolio, the future of Assassin’s Creed

Following the excitement of Ubisoft Forward earlier in June, we had a brief opportunity to chat with CEO Yves Guillemot, who was feeling reflective after June’s whirlwind showcase season. Among other things, Guillemot discussed the future of Ubisoft’s video game portfolio, gave us a hint at what’s to come for the Assassin’s Creed series, and mused on the evolution of long-standing game genres and the industry itself.

What video game genres is Ubisoft currently focusing on?

Yves Guillemot: The open world action adventure is really something we continue to focus on, as you can see Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Our game engines — Snowdrop and Anvil — are adapted to that genre and we believe we can create some of the best experiences out there. And on the other side of that are our Games as a Service (GaaS) native experiences. We’ve seen with games like Rainbow Six Siege that listening to your community and learning from their feedback is the way to grow a GaaS game. Of course, you absolutely have to have a vision, but the game is co-constructed with its players. If you listen to your community, you can create an evolving, best-in-class experience for them.

Ubisoft has been a major player in the open world space for years. How do you ensure evolution and innovation with each new game?

YG: Technology is developing so quickly that there are endless possibilities for evolution. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, for example, we have a weather system that affects gameplay; ponds that were once swimmable can freeze over, for example. Visually, we also see a big step forward for the series. I’ve also been very open about the potential that I see in generative AI and how it can enrich NPCs to be more intelligent and interactive. That could potentially extend to animals in the world, to the world itself. There’s still so much we can do to enrich these open worlds and make them even more dynamic.

What do you think Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings to the series that could attract players who have never played Assassin’s Creed or who have dropped the series?

YG: I think being in feudal Japan and exploring such a beautiful world with two complementary yet different characters is a very tempting proposition. You can choose how to handle each situation by playing as a shinobi or a samurai, and have very different experiences depending on your choice. I can’t wait for players, both new and returning, to get their hands on it.

On the Assassin’s Creed front, we had Mirage, which was a meager homage to the series’ roots, and now Shadows, which is much bigger and more in the vein of Odyssey/Valhalla. Looking into the future, can we expect this kind of continued variety? Smaller games alongside larger ones?

YG: First, players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit and modernize some of the games we’ve made in the past; there are worlds in some of our older Assassin’s Creed games that are still extremely rich. Second, to answer your question, there will be plenty of variety in experience. The goal is to release Assassin’s Creed games more regularly, but not to have the same experience every year. There are still a lot of good things ahead, including Assassin’s Creed Hexe, which we announced, and which will be a very different game from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. We’re going to surprise people, I think.

While some GaaS games have maintained a sizable, loyal player base, we’ve seen a fair number of publishers try and fail in this landscape. What can Ubisoft offer the games-as-a-service market to ensure they stand out from the crowd?

YG: We must continue to listen carefully to our players and make informed decisions about where to focus our efforts, because if you succeed at GaaS, you can succeed in the long term. Let’s take a look at XDefiant. There is a lot of work to be done, but it has been able to attract 11 million players in a short time. And that number will increase with all the work the team has done to ensure that season one adds much more to the existing experience. It’s about making the right choices and sticking to them.

What are your expectations for XDefiant in the future?

YG: Well, apart from the fact that it’s constantly being updated, with different experiences and optimized gameplay, I’d like to see it as a serious esport. But really, for a game like this, there’s no limit to the future. And we have an amazing team that listens~~,~~ and communicates with our players, which is so crucial. We’ve started strong, but there’s still a long way to go, and I’m excited for us to take on the challenge.

Let’s quickly talk about Ubisoft’s Snowdrop and Anvil engines. What advantages do they bring to Ubisoft’s games?

YG: They are specialized and differentiate our games. We will continue to invest in our great engines; the creators of our engines understand what our games need, and what the developers of our games need, and our engines play to those needs. That’s why we can continue to push our visuals and gameplay to new heights.

I want to end with a two-part question. Part one: What baffles you about the games industry right now?

YG: One thing I’m concerned about now is the malicious and personal online attacks targeting some of our team members and partners. I want to make it clear that we at Ubisoft condemn these hateful acts in the strongest possible terms, and I encourage the rest of the industry and players to condemn them as well. I’m proud to support the great work of our teams and partners, and I will always trust their creative choices. We should all celebrate the hard work and talent that goes into making video games.

That’s very clear. So, the second part of the question: what excites you about the games industry?

YG: What excites me, and has always excited me, is new technology and the potential it can bring to our developers and of course to our players. I would love to see hardware evolve even faster. The fact that games have been compatible with both current and previous generation consoles for a while now has been great for our back catalogue and our players, but it has held the industry back a bit when it comes to developing truly new experiences. If we as game makers can embrace and master technological advancements like generative AI and the cloud more quickly, we will be much better positioned to create new, striking experiences for players.