Ubi was "desperate" over Creed scores

By Oli Welsh Published 11 December, 2008

But sales prove reviews aren't everything.

Ubisoft finance officer Alain Martinez has told a finance conference audience that the publisher hasn't put the same faith in review score averages since the runaway success of Assassin's Creed last year.

"To be honest, when Assassin's Creed launched and got 82 per cent, we were desperate, and we thought we were going to die," he said, as quoted by Gamasutra.

However, sales of the game were very healthy - over two and a half million in four weeks, leading Ubi to raise its initial projections from three to five million sales. As a result, the company questioned whether the link between average review scores and game sales was as strong as it thought.

Martinez cited an opposite example - the high-scoring but relatively low-selling Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which earned a rating of 92 per cent on Metacritic.com.

"If you look at our first Prince of Persia, we thought it was going to do great," he said, "[but] it did two million, so we were kind of disappointed."

Moving on to the latest Prince of Persia, released last week, Martinez said that Ubisoft thought two and a half to three million sales was "clearly achievable" for the title. He cited the same sales projections for Far Cry 2, which hasn't sold as quickly as the company had hoped it would, but which Ubi is now "repromoting".

Martinez lamented the lack of chart-topping titles in Ubisoft's recent history, saying that high chart placings were important in the current economic climate. "I would probably say competition is tougher, because there is more product," he said.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (51) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • muscleblade #1 3 years ago

    "As a result, the company questioned whether the link between average review scores and game sales was as strong as it thought"

    When did 82% become average??? I thouth that was a pretty good score.
    Edited by 1 at 11/12/08 @ 09:12

  • Zomoniac #2 3 years ago

    Quite. And when did 2 million become a poor showing for a brand that has seen no output since the early 90s?

  • systems #3 3 years ago

    82% is a cracking score. What's he talking about? I would say when it comes to games something in the 60's is more average. They should think themselves lucky they sold that many for a tech demo.

  • ManicDrunkMonk #4 3 years ago

    Actually among a majority of websites I would suggest that anything below an 8/10 signifies a low score. 82% is just sneaking in.

    It's only Edge and a few other publications (like possibly Eurogamer) that use the full scale of scores.

  • Goodfella #5 3 years ago

    Doesn't he mean the overall metacritic average, not singular average scoring reviews?

  • menage #6 3 years ago

    I could have told him that based on FIFA and NFS for the past 10 years or so.

    82% is 40% too much for that game though, POS.

  • Tomo #7 3 years ago

    Isn't this guy just stating the obvious anyway?

    There are plenty of shit games that sell bucket loads. NFS anyone? Quantum of Solace? Look at CoD5 too :p

    His point is more pertinent when looking at new IP though, that's true.

  • Madafunkola #8 3 years ago

    GAMEStm magazine gave it 4/10...
    I gave it 9/10...

  • hiddenranbir #9 3 years ago

    What a dick head.

    He saw the sale figures and then he JIZZED IN HIS PANTS.

    [link url=http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4
    ]http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4
    [/link]

  • jellyhead #10 3 years ago

    Reviews scores. Pointless?

    :)

    82% is a great score, seems like the execs themselves are admitting they think that good review scores start at an 8 which is craziness or it would be if more sites used the full range of their scoring systems instead of weighting them towards the top of the scale. Also, don't these average score sites like gameranking or metacritic have issues with the way they calculate things?

    Anyway, Ubisoft if you're listening - TEARING and repetition, sort it out!

  • Dezm0nd #11 3 years ago

    Ubi says reviews aren't everything... yet the Prince of Persia reviews below 7 seem to be a little bit lagging behind the higher rated games.

    It's all bullshit, when execs talk.

  • juck88 #12 3 years ago

    what a rubbish game

  • Laroxus #13 3 years ago

    Now if Ubisoft would stop massively repetive games like Assassins Creed, Farcry 2 and Prince Of Persia they would get higher ratings. Al their games are open world these days which makes them more boring then the old lineair games like GRAW or RB6V for instance. Open world is so overrated these days.
    Edited by 2 at 11/12/08 @ 09:54

  • Steroyd #14 3 years ago

    Good, if publishers see review scores as pointless then maybe Eidos and the like will stop cockblocking websites from giving scores under [what they expect], at certain times leading to less corrupt reviews overall.

  • menage #15 3 years ago

    @larolux

    I agree that UBI open world games suck major ass. Pretty and empty is pretty pointless.

    Fallout 3 says hi though. Ubi should take a good look at that as a lesson how to engage people in your world.

  • Dan_Dare #16 3 years ago

    They thought sands of time was going to do well? That must be why they released about 5 copies in the middle of Christmas, did no advertising and forgot to release the gamecube version for a few months.

  • Thunderbolt #17 3 years ago

    I wish less people bought Creed as then there would be less people moaning about it.

    Laroxus,

    Not sure you can lump Assassins Creed and Prince Of Persia in with GRAW or RB6V as they are very different genres. I agree with you on Far Cry 2 though.

  • DFawkes #18 3 years ago

    I love Assassins Creed, one of my favourite series' this gen. And a score of 82% is hardly bad, that's worth being happy about.

  • MORZTAN #19 3 years ago

    I played one hour of this game. It is horrible on so many levels....

  • oreillymj #20 3 years ago

    Can't remember the last time I bought anything by this shower.

    Weren't they the publisher that rushed out Ass Creed half finished, and then took about a month to sort out a patch?
    Edited by 2 at 11/12/08 @ 10:47

  • realworld666 Verified Lead Programmer, Fuzzy-Frog Games #21 3 years ago

    All this prooves is that if you advertise a turd enough it will still sell regardless of review scores.

  • SEVQA #22 3 years ago

    Oi UBI how about some content for Creed, I could'nt think of a games that needed it more (you cheap french gits!)

  • penhalion #23 3 years ago

    It's the price they pay for chasing high scores instead of making great games. The more companies do this, the weaker subsequent sales of their newer games become. Not because the new games are worse but, because the gamers no longer trust reviews to be honest about the quality. Word ot mouth becomes far more important.

    This is why a lot of hyped games are in freefall on the charts. The recession effect is also kicking in too, in that gamers now can't afford to buy the dross along with the great. Before the recession we would have bought any hyped games and then complained. Now, it only takes one person from a group to get a duff title and the news spreads to everyone in teh group not to touch it with a barge pole.

  • des #24 3 years ago

    Reviews are pointless,only the most hardcore nerds buy games looking at reviews.Mass marked doesn't care,if they think that the game is fun they buy if not...trash bin.

  • thecatweazle #25 3 years ago

    Game that had saturation TV advertising outsells game that I haven't seen a single TV ad for - shocker.

  • spekkeh #26 3 years ago

    "[but] it did two million, so we were kind of disappointed."

    Wow. Cocky much?

  • spekkeh #27 3 years ago

    What a dick head.

    He saw the sale figures and then he JIZZED IN HIS PANTS.

    http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4

    At first I was like :/, but then I JIZZED IN MY PANTS

  • merkdot #28 3 years ago

    now all they need to do is stop blockading sites that give them crap reviews.

    wankers.

  • JediMasterMalik #29 3 years ago

    Apparently a good game isn't everything either.

  • dacicus #30 3 years ago

    Assassin Creed on PC was a bit of disaster. But for consoles, it did well.

    Question for people who actually bought the new POP: it is true that the game it's DRM free? If yes, I'm seriously considering to buy it, as I've gathered quite a bit of money due to the heavy DRM on EA's titles. So my budget for Christmas games went up with around 400 euro due to my little boycott for any EA title using online activation...

  • vegard #31 3 years ago

    "I would probably say competition is tougher, because there is more product"

    Stringer Bell works for UBI!

  • Bluetooth #32 3 years ago

    You can thank Jade Raymond for those extra sales

  • dnd #33 3 years ago

    i really enjoyed assassin's creed...but then i love open world and just running around. i used to spend hours on old school PoP coming up with new ways to die lol.

    i certainly enjoyed it more than the over-hyped GoW which was repetitive and completely closed.

  • Gaol #34 3 years ago

    Hoody on cover >>> high metacritic score

  • FromTheLandUnknown #35 3 years ago

    This confirms the teory about cognitive dissonance. Which says, to sum it up briefly, that mind is playing a trick to us , when we try to unite two opposing truths in our mind and be calm about it, for example:
    1.)"I'm playing this boring, overhyped shit of a game by the name Assasins Creed, Far Cry 2, (add any name of recent or future Ubisoft game)....
    2.)I even payed 70EU for it.
    Now, what the mind does, is that it adjusts one or both of the facts, for example:
    1.)But this game is not boring, has beautiful graphics, is only for hardcore gamers, or it gives you back that much that you are giving to it, the more I play it the more I like it (the last statement personifies the Cognitive dissonance)
    2.)Now, this one is hard to change, you paid for the shit, but mind says, 70EU is not so much, I could trade the game later, etc, etc,...
    It is for this dissonance in my mind, when I think about it, that I liked Assasin's Creed also, which confirms, how powerful this thing is, it creeps in to one even if we are aware of it.
    But it confirms also, that every PLAYABLE game, or better a game which runs on your platform without major bugs that stop you to completing it, will find its audience.
    Far Cry 2 on all platforms (PS3 for me) was released in such a buggy and crappy state, that I can not finish it, even after recent patches, which added some new problems, but didn't resolve freezing and a bug which prevents you to get a new mission at about 88% of the game. In fact so being the first console game ever, in my experience at least, which I couldn't finish, because it was UNPLAYABLE, read full of bugs.Last freeze nearly bricked my console, or so it seemed, because even reseting it didn't helped immediately. All the other games work fine i never had any problems, wait no, I had it with Assasin's Creed until the patch.
    The fact, that nothing is done about it, Ubisoft even released an answer video stating how they are proud of their product, shows some deep problems, which this company is experiencing recently.
    It is because of this they now have problems wirh Prince of Persia. Public is seeing, that review scores are not dependable, and are more relying on the mouth to mouth reports.And some of them are not good, even for fans of original trilogy, like myself...
    I would wish, that big gaming sites, like EG, would report about such products, month or so after release, because releasing a product in a pre beta state is plain and simple ABUSE.

  • coomber #36 3 years ago

    @ FromTheLandUnknown.

    The doctor will see you now.

  • Feanor #37 3 years ago

    With that kind of fucked-up mentality it's no wonder their PR cunts went crazy on sites that didn't give them 90% or higher scores. If you have to buy a Ubisoft game, get a used copy.

  • Zebula77 #38 3 years ago

    I rather liked AC, despite the framerate issues and linear missions (and repetition, yes). Loved the setting, visual style and feel of the game. If they suss out a lot of the flaws and listen to user comments I think a sequel should be loads better.

    82% is a pretty damn good score tho, if we're talking metacritic. Dunno what he's on about, really.

  • DrRobotnik #39 3 years ago

    "GAMEStm magazine gave it 4/10... "

    That's because Games TM need to draw attention to themselves in their quest to outdo EDGE. Unfortunately, their editorial content is average and they give articles to people who heavily advertise.

    I thought Assassins was a really solid game. I'd give it an 8, but then, who gives a sh*t what I think :-)

  • FromTheLandUnknown #40 3 years ago

    @coomber
    Sorry, too much words and no pictures, I know...

  • ronuds #41 3 years ago

    Think of what it may have sold had it actually been as good a game as it was originally touted.

  • metalangel #42 3 years ago

    Will Jade still come nosh my cock if I buy Ass Crud preowned?

  • Unofficial #43 3 years ago

    Christ, you wouldn't think that a straight forward comment would cause such a storm.

    It is very common for a developer or publisher to constantly strive for better meta-critic ratings because having an extremely high average (90%+) means a lot when it comes to a loyal customer base, anticipation for future releases, hiring talent etc. All the guy is saying is that they have begun to take a step back and not focus so much on the review scores when it comes to projecting sales. It isnt that 82% is a crap score, it's just that many companies do strive for 90%+.

    With regards sales, when you spend the amount on developing a title that Ubisoft do, you need to sell a lot (definately more than 1 million units) just to break even. Ubisoft are actually pretty well known for having larger than average teams (100+). Supporting those for 3 or more years costs a hell of a lot. Therefore, selling 2 million and perhaps not making a great deal of profit can be dissappointing. Usually sequels are where the real money is made, so again, if they don't make as much as expected this can have serious implications.

    I don't see anything hugely contraversial in what he is saying.

  • tobsen #44 3 years ago

    When we finally reach the point where sales are not influenced by negative reviews anymore, the quality in this industry will totally go to hell, because then the lowest common denominator will be the only relevant benchmark for game publishers.

  • beastmaster #45 3 years ago

    Of course, critics would like to think they make a difference, but they don't (mostly). So Edge, Games TM and EG are not afraid to rip into something if it's shit (mostly). Vast majority of people who buy games don't read gaming websites or gaming magazines. As long as you advertise and make it look cool, there's money to be made.

    Prime example - movie business. Four Xmases on Rotten Tomatoes is something like 20%. Going by the trailer it looks shite. But it's making tons of money and will continue to do so.

    Edit: Basically Tobsen +1

    Sometimes though, when all critics tear something apart it does (sometimes) have an impact. Hudson Hawke and Last Action Hero.

    Anyhow, WTF am I going on about? I forgot...
    Edited by 1 at 11/12/08 @ 18:25

  • metalangel #46 3 years ago

    tobsen, I think that has already happened to the Wii and is now happening to the DS.

  • konniehuqfan #47 3 years ago

    bluetooth +1

    what's jade's next project?

  • muscleblade #48 3 years ago

    what's jade's next project?


    Assassins Creed 2?

  • DarkPOP #49 3 years ago

    Prince of Persia is awesome. I play it yet on my pc.
    Prince of Persia

  • Grayvern #50 3 years ago

    Last person in the world to realize that many consumers don't exactly consume smartly.

  • dominalien #51 3 years ago

    I am tempted to try AssCreed if only to make up my own mind about it, but I'd be playing on PS3, where apparently it's "gutted". So perhaps I'll wait for the PSP version and play that, provided it similar in content to the big ones. If not, at least the PS3 version is like 15 euro or less these days.
    Edited by 1 at 13/04/09 @ 10:16