Ubisoft suspects “audience is ready” for always online

The audience is “ready” for always online game consoles, according to Ubisoft Montreal CEO, Yannis Mallat.

[RmanX1000]

Always Online = Always No Buy

[NewMonday]

is that what they learned form Uplay?

[darthv72]

already have games that require you to be online to play?

It says righ on the front of MAG. "Online multiplayer only". Even Warhawk is Multiplayer only and while it offers local split screen, we all know the main selling point is online.

"Always online" seems to be more of a catch phrase because we all know the existing platforms of ps3, 360 even wii-u are capable of supporting that.

Games that push for that requirement are the real hot topic, not the platforms themselves.

[Yi-Long]

... Ubisofts' suspicions are wrong!

The problem with 'always online' means you'll be at the mercy of a publisher keeping its' servers up.

Also, not everyone lives in a place where the connection is dependable.

There have been many times where the internet has gone down for a few hours, and I was so glad I could just turn on my console, or start up a game of SimCity 4 on my PC, to pass the time.

[HammockGames]

Spot on

The audience clearly isn't receptive.

The infrastructure isn't there.

The recent evidence against the rationale of "always on" gaming should make this clear.

Further, mandating "always on" seems a great way to alienate customers.

[Why o why]

If sony allow ubisoft or any other 3rd party to do this ill be equally pissed with the both of them. The ps4 will be my main console. What happens on the 360 isn't my main concern as it will be my secondary play thing...the wii u doesn't even come into this until some more games that appeal to me turn up

[Knight_Crawler]

Sony has already confirmed that always online will be up to the developer...so I guess not Watch Dog for you son.

[Why o why]

Pissed. Ill take one for the team then.. I'd be gutted if it turns out to be a great game but if we don't take a stand we'll always be rinsed by these guys.

[colonel179]

Having a lot of devs commenting on this rumor, makes me believe that it is actually true. It might be used for something besides games, but if it does, it will be the tryout to get it to games.

I don't know how Microsoft will defend it if it actually becomes true. Developers will certainly support it (specially Ubisoft) since they love DRM. The biggest problem is that if the next Xbox implements it, and it actually sells well, Sony and Nintendo will follow suit.

With every generation, gaming is becoming worse. Gaming used to be about sitting down, playing games and enjoying with friends or alone. Now, companies want to make it about movies, social, tv, everything but games! Which is a GAMING console to begin with. They are trying to cater to a market that it is not interested and by that they are leaving games as a second thought.

Sony is doing well with the PS4 going for the gaming market FIRST, but it will be stupid to believe that if Microsoft sells better, they won't start redirecting the PS4 just like MS did with the 360 and now with the next Xbox.

[Salooh]

Instead of making challenging gameplay they make it hard to start the games with the limitation they are making such as how the vita works. It makes me upset instead of happy to play in it. This is one of the reasons i'm getting bored of gaming..

[Zhipp]

That may be the case for you(and for myself, as well), but I think he's right. Most games played these days are online, anyway, and I doubt that the average suburb/city user will even notice that they are required to be online. Audiences probably are ready for always online. Audiences probably are ready for always online. That said, it's clear from the colossal launch failures of Diablo 3 and Simcity that the companies themselves are not!

[3-4-5]

^ Many studios who go the always online route this gen could end up being out of business.

Always online is too arrogant.

They may have the tech to get it down, but the tech isn't there amongst the masses to maintain it like it will be promised.

They forget that gamer's are nostalgic and we will gladly go bakc and play old games while waiting for actual good games to be made.

So yea if there is a 3 year drought of always online BS, we have thousands and thousands of games to hold us over.

[KiLLUMiNATi_89]

I agree... Idc about the Xbox 720 but I hope sony doesn't adopt this junk later on... MS can do what they want it won't affect me but theses Devs better not agree to this junk... Most will because " it does bring in more money"... I have a feeling Kinectables 720 will be always online console, the support will prevent it from failing...

[rainslacker]

I agree.

I also wonder why he feels it's important for them to provide a direct connection to the consumer at all times. Maybe for them it is, but not for me. To me my only connection to the publisher is within the context of the game itself. If I want to connect otherwise, I will go to them. They don't need to come to me.

Otherwise I do agree that the service would have to provide a clear benefit, and for gaming...at least in single player...there is no real benefit. Any "benefit" would be superficial for quite a while, and likely be in favor of the publisher.

At least he realizes that there are worries on the consumers part. Now if they wait until those worries disappear, then I'd be happy to discuss the topic again.:) Luckily that worry will never go away in my lifetime.

[steve30x]

Its Ubishaft that introduced Always online so why wouldn't they say such a thing

[BlackIceJoe]

Well then I am happy to not buy your games.

[TheoreticalParticle]

Vote with your wallets people. Make sure you only rent Ubisoft games this coming gen.

[grassyknoll]

With always online, it'll probably limit used sales too. Best just leave their games on the shelf, there's many other developers that deserve your money.

[ziggurcat]

"The audience is “ready” for always online game consoles, according to Ubisoft Montreal CEO, Yannis Mallat."

where did they get that idea from? haven't they been reading anything anywhere on the internet?

[grassyknoll]

Really shows how out of touch publishers are. Strange, especially as Ubisoft 's PC games sales dropped dramatically with Uplays DRM. Always online = No buy.

[grayfoxx881]

I'd like to know more about these "benefits" of DRM. What a joke.

[Stefanrules7]

Here are the benefits -

If your connection goes down its game over

Server shutdowns = game can never be played again

Instead of buying the game and saving it for a lifetime, you are just renting it until the servers are shut down

They can ban you which means you cannot play any games you have paid for

[rainslacker]

In other words, DRM only benefits the publisher.

[d3nworth1]

Ubisoft: your voice say no always on online but your body says yes.

[Roper316]

@ B.I. Joe
you won't miss much except their new AC game every 6 months

[Zhipp]

I'm really looking forward to Watchdogs...

[pompombrum]

If Watch dogs is always online, it will be the first and hopefully only always online game that I will buy. Seriously though, a CEO of such a big company should be smart enough to know better than to talk like this especially seeing how much controversy that is currently surrounding it.

[RuleofOne343]

OPINION PERSONAL OPINION .

I am quiet ready for this to happen, not cause of where I live. Just for the fact that if demand grows, people grow restless , this would force cable companies to get off their ass to fix the infrastructure & bring a service that is way over due to other parts of the country not just big city areas. This why I wish every company involved in tech devices to move forward so to forces ISP forward also.

[TheSaint]

You have far too much faith in companies.

[sway_z]

This guy must like the taste of mouldy cheese, 'cos he always seems to have his foot in his mouth.

[dkgshiz]

We have already seen the benefits of always online with xbox lives servers being down in the past couple days. Its just a terrible idea that will back fire big time if any of these companies start to pull stuff like this.

[Rai]

cool, I can save my money for other companies now. Thanks Ubisoft for shooting yourselves in the foot.

[ipe]

Planned to get watch dogs 4 fir ps4 but if its true about always online than no buy from me. Sorry ubi

[Jek_Porkins]

Well we heard rumors that Assassins Creed 4 and Watch Dogs would be DRM, but until there is confirmation I think I'll hold my tongue.

[Summons75]

I honesty don't see why people are upset. Everyone wants cloud saves and cloud gaming which require Internet and only digital games but the second you need to be connected to the Internet permanently it's hell. Cloud gaming and save REQUIRE online connection always. I'm against them so I don't care but this whole nonsense makes no sense.

[Stefanrules7]

Erm...... Everybody wants cloud gaming which means digital only

No

Where did you gather that "information" from.

[grassyknoll]

Cloud saving is a back up, but a replacement!

[famoussasjohn]

If this "Always Online" has an affect on the gameplay, understandable. If I recall, didn't they say that there were multiple people playing at the same time during the demo at E3? This would make sense as to why it would require Always Online, but if it's just strictly as some form of DRM, then, well that sucks then.

[DARK WITNESS]

oh well, looks like watch dogs may be a miss then...

[No_Pantaloons]

If only there was a huge internet scandal to let the game companies hear what the audience thinks of "always online," maybe one that ends with a guy losing his job because of a massive PR backlash and widespread disapproval of such a feature... ohh wait...

[Toman85]

Im not ready for always online. Even I play Diablo III, still have huge stutters because of high latency, or accounts going down because of a maintenance on the server.

If this comes to life, then I will play the good old games with no such requirements :)

[delboy]

The majority doesn't care, and if the game is good it will sell, no matter what. Diablo 3.
Always Online is the next step, it will happen, like it or not, adopt or quit gaming.
Just look at millions of gamers that play CoD, BF, Hallo, they are always online anyway.
You rereally think they won't buy the next CoD if it requires online for single player part of game, think again.
I'm not interested in CoD, but will definitely buy Watchdogs if turns out to be a good game, I don't care about always online.

[sly-Famous]

They suspect wrong.

[bunt-custardly]

“The answer lies in the question – as soon as players don’t have to worry, then they will only take into account the benefits that those services bring. And I agree, these services need to provide clear benefits."

This.

[Godmars290]

But they don't. There is not one actual benefit to having an always online title that's SP.

I dare someone to come up with one.

[Godmars290]

I'm betting that after the game's release someone will figure out how to play the game offline. This is only a PR excuse for DRM. This guy certainly sounds like he's trying to convince people who haven't heard about the issue that there is no issue.