Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot Doesn’t Like Long Gaps Between Gaming Consoles

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained that he isn’t a huge fan of long gaps between new gaming consoles, according to Kotaku.

Although most people aren’t interested in spending a lot of money every few years for a brand new video game console, Guillemot explained that the gap is essentially bad for business. In fact, the Ubisoft CEO feels the longevity of the current generation may have ultimately harmed the industry.

“I think that what has happened is the transition has been very long,” Guillemot explained to Polygon. “You know, in the industry, we were used to changing machines every five years. This time we are in the seventh year of the 360. We need new consoles and at the end of the cycle generally the market goes down because there are less new IPs, new properties, so that damaged the industry a little bit.”

He added, “I hope next time they will come more often.”

Guillemot explained new consoles force game developers to try new things. Since a new console hasn’t come along in quite some time, the Ubisoft CEO feels that some designers are resting on their laurels by releasing sequel after sequel.

“When a console is out for a long time … you don’t take as much risks on totally new IPs because even if they are good, they don’t sell as well,” he explained.

According to the Examiner, video game industry sales are down 25 percent. Since software developers aren’t willing to take a chance on new titles, many gamers are experiencing a problem generally associated with the motion picture business: sequelitis. Most of the top selling games released this holiday season are just new installments in previously-established franchises.

“Everybody who is taking risks and innovating is welcome because there are lots of hardcore gamers and those guys want new things, where the mass market will be more interested in having the same experience and doesn’t want to take as much risks because it’s not aware as much of what is going to change its experience. So, the beginning of the machines is always a good time for innovation,” Guillemot explained.

Do you agree with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot that long gaps between consoles is bad for the industry?