Ubi to "refocus" on 360 and PS3 this year

By Ellie Gibson Published 14 January, 2010

Not so keen on the Wii and DS these days.

Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot has said the company is planning to make Sony and Microsoft's consoles the priority in 2010.

"With a view to further reducing our exposure to the DS, we intend to continue to refocus our development resources on our major franchises and on the Xbox 360 and PS3, the two consoles which are expected to see sales growth in games for gamers in 2010," he said (as reported by Joystiq).

"The 2010-11 line-up - which is stronger in franchises for Xbox 360 and PS3 - reflects our refocusing efforts and should enable us to both win market share and enhance our profitability." As previously reported Ubi's line-up for the next financial year include a new Assassin's Creed game plus additional instalments in the Ghost Recon, Prince of Persia, Rabbids and Driver series.

The company is expecting to hit a sales target of €860 million this year - that's means an operating loss of €50 million and it's a lower figure than had been expected. According to Ubi it's down to the fact casual game sales have dropped by nearly half over the last 12 months, while games such as Avatar and "non-casual" Wii titles didn't do so well. Ubi reckons the figures were also affected by delays to Splinter Cell: Conviction and R.U.S.E.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (40) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Santino #1 2 years ago

    like they have ever focused on anything but 360/ps3 in the first place!

    this is goood news though, the less shovelware from them on the shelves the better.

  • Lee_Morris #2 2 years ago

    Developers are dropping the Wii like a hot potato. The amount of shovelware Ubi push on the DS and Wii is staggering. Nobody seems to know what Wii owners want and developers are giving up trying to figure it out.

  • Beano #3 2 years ago

    "The amount of shovelware Ubi push on the DS and Wii is staggering."

    Now that 360 and PS3 are both getting motion controls, we will see the same showelware again but in HD.... :(
    Edited by 1 at 14/01/10 @ 09:05

  • Wander #4 2 years ago

    The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And you have burned so very very brightly, Wii.

  • Beano #5 2 years ago

    LOL :D

  • matrim83 #6 2 years ago

    Not really surprising. If you make a game for the Wii you end up with an exclusive. Make it for other consoles (and while it may cost more) you can spread it around 3 systems (PC, 360 and PS3). And then there is the added incentive of the DLCs.

    TBH there isnt much there for third party developers on the Wii. Why go exclusive on a system where sales are risky as it is?

  • markymark22 #7 2 years ago

    Hmm maybe they should re-think there exclusivity standpoint as well. Missing out on a lot of splinter cell sales i'll bet!

  • bumgut #8 2 years ago

    They all come back to the hardcore eventually...

  • bnazir #9 2 years ago

    heh..a futile manoeuvre number 1!

  • Mr_Bogus #10 2 years ago

    Rabbids Go Home is one of the few 3rd party titles to be consistently in the top 10 on the Wii chart. Wonder why they've jumped on the "our games aren't selling on this platform" bandwagon?

  • retrological #11 2 years ago

    Beyond Good & Evil 2.
    Beyond Good & Evil 2.
    Beyond Good & Evil 2.
    Beyond Good & Evil 2.
    Beyond Good & Evil 2.
    DO IT.

  • kangarootoo #12 2 years ago

    Hmmm, a few devs seem to be going cold on the DS. There are so many of them out there, but piracy is just such a barrier for so many publishers.

    I guess its a matter of picking your battles. What you need is to be making DS games, the target audience for which aren't into piracy (or simply wouldn't know how). Hardcore games have a hardcore audience, and the hardcore audience is R4'd up to the gills.

    Given the type of games they make, Ubi are unfortunately doing the right thing.

  • mcmonkeyplc #13 2 years ago

    Once you go casual you coming running back! :)

  • Drpwnage #14 2 years ago

    Hardly surprising that mainstream publishers are re focussing on 'core gamers', now the wheels have fallen off the Third Party Wii bandwagon. I guess alot of Wii owners have all the games they need in Wii Sports, fetching the console out the cupboard when friends and family come round. Rest of the time they probably get their 'casual' gaming fix on Facebook!

  • schnide #15 2 years ago

    Casual Market Gives Up On Gimmicky Product - "Too Many Animals Drinking At Well, Well Runs Dry!"

    Next on the news at 9: Unicycling Squirrel Damages Nuts.

  • markyHD #16 2 years ago

    Perhaps they suddenly realized the name is ridiculous...I mean......Wii.......like.........Wee.....what nob signed that off.

  • varsas #17 2 years ago

    Let's hope that reduced output on the Wii means high quality output; flooding the market with almost identical shovelware probably didn't help their sales!

  • Evolution #18 2 years ago

    Frankly they release so much crap on both systems I am glad to hear they are giving it up and moving on to FINALLY making BG&E 2 instead of Petz.

  • Murton #19 2 years ago

    Wander: if I could give more than +1 I would, that was a fantastic piece of poetry there and something quite rare for this site.

    There's been a steady decline in content released for Nintendo systems by the larger third party companies over the last year or so. Nintendo isn't really that bothered by it as they make the vast majority of their income from their developers anyway. I suspect that over the next year we'll see major third party support for the Wii and DS diminish substantially leaving room for the smaller independents and new starters to carve their niche on the platform and bring more innovation and less gimmickey waggle games.

  • smithdown #20 2 years ago

    "What you need is to be making DS games, the target audience for which aren't into piracy (or simply wouldn't know how)."

    Erm, piracy is absolutely RIFE on the DS - I don't know anybody who owns one who doesn't have a bunch of pirated games.

    The Wii came out in a very different financial environment, when a lot of people in the Western world had plenty of cash to splurge on things like this. The first thing that a casual gamer will jettison when they are tightening belts will be games. Nintendo are happyt cos they sold a boatload of Wiis, but its the developers and publishers who are suffering in a climate where no one is buying games for those systems.

  • parablax #21 2 years ago

    Stop pissing about Ubi and make B&GE2 pronto.

  • des #22 2 years ago

    Wii sux.

  • schnide #23 2 years ago

    @Murton

    I think it's time you watched Blade Runner again..

  • dingo75 #24 2 years ago

    They all come back to the hardcore eventually...

    I already look forward to the huge amount of cock suc... Nintendo will have to perform on the hardcore to sell shit to us again in a couple of years once the casuals found another hobby they could destroy with their retarded sheep like mentality!
    Edited by 1 at 14/01/10 @ 11:23

  • BartonFink #25 2 years ago

    So it looks like the third parties have finally come to the inevitable realisation (as with every Ninty console since SNES) that they simply cannot compete with Nintendo. Took them a bit longer this time though. Positive side it might make Nintendo get up of their collective fat arses and release something interesting finally.

  • coolbritannia #26 2 years ago

    I hope every dev abandons the Wii, I hate it. It's always been shit, and even it's best games are rehashes or pale imitations of what has come before.

  • TonyHarrison #27 2 years ago

    Ubisoft are one of the biggest shovelware peddlers around, so if that shovelware isn't going to be on Wii or DS, where is it going to be?

    *Looks at headline*

    Oh.

  • swissorc #28 2 years ago

    Rabbids go home sequel in October/November I bet. Besides all I care about from ubisoft is GRAW and red steel quality over quantity Ubisoft. please no more petz games. ps Wii is awsome

  • CallousB #29 2 years ago

    "So it looks like the third parties have finally come to the inevitable realisation (as with every Ninty console since SNES) that they simply cannot compete with Nintendo"

    I would agree..if third parties had actually tried to compete.

    If anything, this gen has shown that no matter how many systems Nintendo sell, no matter how many chances third parties have to make money on Nintendo platforms, no matter how many gaps Nintendo leaves in their release schedule for 3rd parties to thrive...most 3rd parties are never going to support them with quality content.

    There are at least 44 million Wii owners who have no loyalty to Nintendo (they didn't own a Gamecube). If 3rd parties can't sell to that market....they have only themselves to blame.
    Edited by 1 at 14/01/10 @ 13:04

  • KDR_11k #30 2 years ago

    Does that mean no more Petz garbage?

  • secombe #31 2 years ago

    By default nearly every Wii owner now has Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Mario Kart, Wii Fit and gradually: NSMB Wii.

    That might not sound like a lot, but it's all the games that many Wii owners are likely to need for a long, long time. Most 'families' probably 'only' play games for 5hrs per week tops (because of life and stuff). We still play Mario Kart, Wii Sports or Wii Sports Resort almost by default every time we fire up the Wii, as multiplayer titles they all offer an extremely long life-span.

  • neonxaos #32 2 years ago

    Developers can't seem to figure out what users want from the Wii... LOOK AT THE DS! USE THE TECH TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! Since realistic physics and incredible graphics aren't possible, focus on the gameplay. Look at indie games in places like Steam, hire those guys. I simply can't figure out why this is so difficult.

  • BartonFink #33 2 years ago

    @CallousB that's true the amount of shovelware that 3rd parties have vomited on the platform is a disgrace. However even decent and good quality software from 3rd parties fails to shift either. The Wii demographic seems to be only interested in Mario, Wii-Fit, Wii-Play, etc. If they are not interested it's hard to blame 3rd parties for not trying or giving up altogether.

  • CallousB #34 2 years ago

    @BartonFink

    You could equally argue that the Wii and DS demographic are only interested in software that is marketed well and marketed heavily...something 3rd parties are failing to do.

    I still find it hard to believe that" New Sonic the Hedgehog Wii" or a good quality first person classic "Star Wars" trilogy lightsaber game..wouldn't sell millions if given a decent marketing budget on Wii.





    Edited by 1 at 14/01/10 @ 14:23

  • BartonFink #35 2 years ago

    Ah well it's a mute point now anyway since they all seem to be deserting like rats from a sinking ship.

  • FogHeart #36 2 years ago

    Let's Powerpoint this!

    1) There are quality third party games available for the Wii. The ratio of good to bad is a but rubbish as evidenced by the average metascores given over the year - especially if you limit that to third party titles. But they are out there.

    2) These games do not sell very well. They are limited to people like me who look out for them, pay attention to reviews and buy them. Not impulse purchasers.

    3) The lack of sales is making the big third party devs pull out.

    4) Impulse buyers are more swayed by advertising, but there is a paucity of advertising for third party games for the Wii. Contrast to the fact that, for example, I can't move for the Bayonetta advert these days.

    5) Nintendo are just rubbish when it comes to adverts for third party. They made adverts for Cursed Mountain and not Dead Space Extraction. Let's see if there are adverts for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. A shedload of people will know of the franchise through games and the film, so impulse buyers will be available for what seems to be a great product, but I'll put money down on poor sales through poor advertising.

    6) Solution? Instead of dialling down the number of products you make for the console, bitch to Nintendo about how shit they are at supporting your products.

  • darc #37 2 years ago

    Step 1: manage to sell a games console to non-gamers.
    Step 2: watch in awe as non-gamers proceed to not buy games.

    :D

  • secombe #38 2 years ago

    I still find it hard to believe that" New Sonic the Hedgehog Wii" or a good quality first person classic "Star Wars" trilogy lightsaber game..wouldn't sell millions if given a decent marketing budget on Wii.

    This is what amazes me, I bought a Wii on release day and within 20 minutes I was looking forward to the days of a good Cricket game, fleshed out sports titles that build on the excellent samples in Wii Sports, a decent lightsaber game etc etc etc.

    3 years later, apart from one brilliant/inspired/original sports title (PES), we've had none of the things I assumed would be certainties. I really don't understand it, the potential market is there, development costs aren't insane, the release schedule makes promoting a big new release easy.

  • just4socom #39 2 years ago

    will someone please tell ubisoft to make another RAINBOW SIX game?

    and tell em` not to make it a call of duty clone with earning XP for every kill which why RSV2 failed in my eyes.

    make it like the first rainbow six vegas where u gain XP with the team whether u win the match for most XP, or lose the match less XP. for example, winning the match earns u 1200XP, each member on the winning team gets that same amount, while losing team gets 300xp each etc...all in all just make it heavily based on teamwork and communication.

    Because that way it implements alot more teamwork, makes u rely on each other and communicate much more.

  • Skurmedel #40 2 years ago

    just4socom: Good idea, it should play like Raven Shield as well. I don't quite fancy the new GRAWs either, they are more FPSes than tactical shooters.