The reason is because if a new idea or new tech ”doesn’t work” then there’s still ”tons of the other stuff” that fans will enjoy, and help the game recover.
In a reader submitted Q&A session for The Guardian, Ubisoft top executive Jade Raymond has fielded a bunch of questions about the studio and its workings. Asked ‘why are there so many game sequels’, she replied because it allows developers to try new ideas.
Launching a new IP is a big undertaking she notes, but it does allow for new gameplay ideas or new tech to be integrated with the advantage that if it doesn’t work then everyone can fall back on what fans already enjoyed about the series and look forward to more.
”And so really if you have a gameplay idea a sequel is a great way to try out innovation that you might not be sure will work because, even if let’s say that one new gameplay idea, or what that one new tech that you’re trying to integrate doesn’t work, there’s still tons of the other stuff that fans want to live through and see the next game for,” she said.
Jade Raymond is now the Managing Director for Ubisoft Toronto.
Assassin’s Creed offered its own level of innovation to the videogames industry, exploding the popularity of free-running exploration in the game world. However it had its fair share of niggles but Ubisoft managed to almost eradicate the drawbacks in the sequel.
Check out the full video Q&A below, courtesy of The Guardian. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations releases on Xbox 360 and PS3 November 15th, on PC the 29th.
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