Ubisoft: Splinter Cell, Creed "more often"

By Robert Purchese Published 2 March, 2010

Yves Guillemot is speeding things up.

Ubisoft overlord Yves Guillemot wants his company to turn out Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed games "more often".

"This is a long-term vision," Max Beland, creative director at Ubisoft Montreal, told Edge Online. "I'm not telling you that in a year you'll have another Splinter Cell. Right now the direction Yves gave us and where the company is going is, at one point, if the direction doesn't change, yes you're going to be seeing Splinter Cell games - just like Assassin's Creed games, just like anything else - released a little bit more often."

The upcoming Splinter Cell: Conviction may be an Xbox 360 (and PC) exclusive, but Beland says Microsoft has no such control over the rest of the series. Not yet.

"I'm not involved in the business deals. I joined Splinter Cell after the exclusivity deal with Microsoft had already been signed, but there's no reason why Splinter Cell couldn't be on the PS3," he said. "Conviction? No because of the exclusivity deal. I know people keep talking about maybe, maybe not, [but] at Ubisoft Montreal I haven't seen anyone working on PS3 for Conviction.

"[The next game] is open to new deals," he added. "If Microsoft wants an exclusivity deal, they don't call me, it's Yves dealing with the business people. But yeah, I guess we could even be a PS3 exclusive if there's a deal that makes people happy there."

Whether Sony would stump up the cash for it is another matter, of course.

Splinter Cell: Conviction will be released on 16th April on PC and Xbox 360.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • Gambit1977 #1 2 years ago

    Talk about stirring up an auction.
    I don't believe Splinter Cell is the huge IP it once was though...

  • soviet_ #2 2 years ago

    Might as well stop making PC versions

  • Murton #3 2 years ago

    The quicker you try to turn games round the less significant they become. Just need to look at FIFA or any other EA Sports title to see that.

    Would be a shame for the future Creed games to feature smaller worlds and shorter stories just so that they could appear on store shelves more often.

  • Cherub007 #4 2 years ago

    @Murton

    The difference is that EA's sport titles are inextricably linked to the real life day in, day out theatre of globally popular sports. The games advance in pigeon steps every year because they don't have to do anything more to guarantee millions of sales from people who want to play with the latest teams, in the latest kits, with players at their..er...latest ability levels (I hope you know what I mean there. I can't think how to describe that any better. What a poet.)

    But if Splinter Cell or Creed throw out substandard bollocks for a couple of years, any brand loyalty (it's ok, I'm inserting lit matches up my japseye as we speak for using such a vile phrase) will disappear and the games will die.

  • Malkotheslick #5 2 years ago

    Rather than innovate they are just trying to rape their existing IP for all its worth, that is exactly what consumers want to hear.

  • Spanky #6 2 years ago

    Why not make amazing games, so amazing that they stay in the charts for ages(MW2, Mass Effect 2, Pandora Tomorrow etc etc). Rather than pounding out workmanlike games full of box carrying padding that only ever damage the IP and have diminishing returns?

  • BabyJesus #7 2 years ago

    Roughly translated, we want to churn out these titles on a conveyor belt BUT we don't want to take the hit financially incase that fails, so please Sony, MS pay us for them so it's not as risky.

  • Redeye #8 2 years ago

    Ubisoft - aiming to take 'flogging a dead horse' to Activision levels.

  • paketep #9 2 years ago

    Hey, Yves, Kotick is the wrong guy to learn from.

    Oh, well, who cares, as long as you mantain that POS new DRM I'm not buying your games anyway.

  • Yossarian #10 2 years ago

    I don't believe Splinter Cell is the game it once was, let alone the IP.

  • bad09 #11 2 years ago

    Meh. All Ubi games bar AC2 are now off my list my list anyway, even there I'm still debating whether I can actually stomach the fear of losing my unsaved game at any moment everytime I play AC2.

  • Bravestinsane #12 2 years ago

    NO NO NO NO

    Keep it as it is, Conviction has been in development for 3 - 4 years now any developer who 1 year in can turn around and say "No we fucked up starting again" deserves to take there damn time.

    I hope theres more but i don't want them rushed i want them to take as much time as they need

  • the_mtfr #13 2 years ago

    "This is a long-term vision,"

    No, Ubisoft, a vision is what the game developers had for developing Assassin's Creed 2. Your unattainable idea of manufacturing games at the same quality level, but faster, is not a vision.

  • Hunam #14 2 years ago

    No thanks, every two years is enough to be honest, churning out IP en masse is a sure fire way to kill it quick.

  • Fitzmogwai #15 2 years ago

    Ubi are dead to me. Dead to me, you hear?

  • IMD1_Pk #16 2 years ago

    Why does it matter to everyone. Looking at their past work with the series they had 4 splinter cells in 5 years. That is nearly annual and all the games in the series have been great. They alternate between Shanghai and Montreal studios for their releases to ensure they have a nice 2 year gap in between games at least. A lot of buyers who don't want to buy a game from them each year say that the series will be beat like a dead horse but that's doubtful. As long as they continue to improve and innovate in their game's gameplay styles sales will just keep increasing overall release after release.

  • sarcasmoidosis #17 2 years ago

    Ubisoft PS3 exclusive? Have they ever seen their PS3 ports?

    Some days I wonder how AC2 "slipped" out of Ubi's studios...It seems like an exception and that's sad, because the IP's are really varied and interesting. Hopefully PoP won't suck.

  • Markitron #18 2 years ago

    This is the EXACT opposite of what they said in 2007 after AC1 came out, they said they were not gonna exploit their franchises as they did in the previous generation (ie PoP)
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 18:55

  • Hunam #19 2 years ago

    Ubisoft is Ubisoft, they can't change their spots :p

    They do this all the time, say they will give each game time and space then get a few hits out then go right back on their word and cane out the yearly sequels.

  • SheffieldSteel #20 2 years ago

    I can picture the scene in the boardroom now. Stressed executives slouch about in their ridiculously expensive chairs, worrying about falling sales and lack of profitability. Suddenly a blinding flash of the ob^K^K^K^K^K inspiration strikes! Yves Guillemot rises to speak, "Hey, uh... like... what if we... I dunno... just got those profitable games released, like... more often?"
    The meeting is galvanised. Money men start doing calculations, working out the bottom line, and sure enough, it turns out that for a given quality of game, the more often you can release them, the better your annual figures will look. The compay is saved!!!

    And this, my friends, is why top exectives get paid as much as they do. It's because they can do this.


    ( "This" meaning, of course, not only forgetting that games actually require development before they can be released, but also getting away with it.)
    Edited by 3 at 02/03/10 @ 19:35

  • Alterego-X #21 2 years ago

    LOL, Ubisoft is already unprofitable, they can choose between not doing anything and going bankrupt, or desperately trying to make money through destroying franchises, and go bankrupt a bit later.

  • Freek #22 2 years ago

    Great idea! Worked well for Tomb Raider and Guitar Hero...oh wait...

  • Optimaximal #23 2 years ago

    I await Yves announcement of his 'culture of uncertainty and fear'.

  • kongzi #24 2 years ago

    In true Ubisoft fashion, the company's new year resolution is three months later than planned..
    I was planning to clean my house and call my mom "more often"

    that didn't happen either.

  • vegard #25 2 years ago

    i hate suits.

  • Evolution #26 2 years ago

    Less is more Yves, less is more.

  • Timbercottage #27 2 years ago

    Quantity over quality?

  • FooAtari #28 2 years ago

    @cherub007
    "(it's ok, I'm inserting lit matches up my japseye as we speak for using such a vile phrase)"

    Man, I nearly wet myself laughing!

    Anyway, why are so many developers aspiring to become the next Acti. I guess it's for the monies... Between their strategies and PC DRM can't see me buying a Ubi game anytime soon!

    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 23:13

  • Seabeast #29 2 years ago

    SCC looks like its going to be a real leap forward for the series. I have to say that post 1 by Gambit1977 smells of Sony fanboism considering they have totally revamped the gameplay so it now appeals to more people considering you can go all out rambo if you want rather than sneek around.

    If anything its going to pull in a lot more different types of gamers. Considering that every single person I know who owns a 360 wants this game, says alot.

    I know a handful of PS3 users that would gladly trade a PS3 exclusive for this.

  • MrGuiness #30 2 years ago

    you lot need to grow up and whining like little bitches

  • spookymoose #31 2 years ago

    Goddammit I was really looking forward to the next assassins creed, too. So it looks like a sting of turgid, half baked crap we'll get unfinished and have to buy the patches and whatever they didn't fit in as DLC. Nice.

  • Meho #32 2 years ago

    Yeah, but what about Beyond Good and Evil? They made one game in seven years!!! That's one trilogy being developed at a glacial pace.

  • taurus82 #33 2 years ago

    I wish Ubi would go back to releasing Myst games, coz PlayStation has yet to experience Myst 4, 5 or RealMyst.

  • Slipstream #34 2 years ago

    /golfclap

    Now this is the UBI I know Yes, you churn out Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell like they are your next line of Imagine titles, and to think I had restored my faith in you!

    But in seriousness...

    Okay well as long as their is no quality loss and the anti is upped with each installment that's fine, but ideally it would take longer to examine and jump the bar you raised for youself, so shortening production time...hmm.

    Of course Splinter Cell Conviction had a complete reset like, a year and a half ago so I wouldn't call that a delay in production time as such, since it's not the same game.

  • Mooglepies #35 2 years ago

    You can make as many games as you like. You can make the games with whatever quality you like. I don't care.

    Fact is, until you say, at the very least, that you'll patch your DRM out in the event your servers shut down, you will not see any of my money, from PC or consoles.

  • Cherub007 #36 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett

    Point taken, my man, although it raised a chuckle. Apologies for unwitting offence etc.

    That said, seriously, "Brand Loyalty = acceptable phrase"? Is that a PR executive I see before me?;-)