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[SilentFlyer]

Further clarification by Ubi CFO Alain Martinez

http://www.x360magazine.com/general/watch-dogs-delayed-until-spring-2014/

EDIT: Beaten

 

[Vinterbird]

Review copies were sent out? Or these internal playtesting things?

Internal testing if anything. But that's odd considering they've probably run those tests for a long time now

 

[snoopers]

Ubi stock just took a massive nosedive.

#Ubisoft 8.530 -23.08%
#Danone 51.25 -3.37%
#LVMH 136.15 -6.01%
#ASML 70.13 -2.75%
#IMI 1,534.50 +2.37%
#Publicis 58.28 -2.28%

Ouch.

 

[Irobot82]

Review copies were sent out? Or these internal playtesting things?

Internal testers. On their scoring system 1-5, most were coming back in the 2-3's.

 

[SJRB]

Needs more time to realise the game's potential

How is this a clarification for delaying a game 4 weeks before launch? This doesn't explain anything.

 

[suedester]

How is this a clarification for delaying a game 4 weeks before launch? This doesn't explain anything.

It does, he is saying the game was shit and they want to make it better before releasing it. Admittedly, they should have decided that earlier but it doesn't really make that much of a difference.

 

[FaustsBoon]

Yeah, I don't think many posters here realize how standard a procedure it is for late builds to get sent off for "simulated review" from firms that claim to be able to predict within a couple percentage points, what the final meta-critic score for a game will be.

And yes, these folks tend to be as incredibly shitty as most other main-stream game journalists, are just as clueless when dealing with all but the most banal games, etc... and yes, they hold TONS of sway over a game in its last days in the cooker.

 

[Wiktor]

Whattt!!!

Infamous: Second Son will kill (DESTROY) this game in Spring.

What a fuckup, if true.

Critically? Maybe or maybe not. But it won't even make a real dent into Watch_Dogs sales.

 

[red731]

You are killing me internet.

*clicky

 

[Toski]

So my source says the reason is that scores came back from testers and they weren't good. So they're going back to polish the game some more. That's it, not really exciting.

Do they really need 5 months for debugging? I'm wondering if Ubisoft is better off delaying the game for the 2014 holiday season and putting AC and WD on alternating years.

 

[GlamFM]

So my source says the reason is that scores came back from testers and they weren't good. So they're going back to polish the game some more. That's it, not really exciting.

It´s actually pretty exciting.

GTA V happened, the bar has been raised.
They probably see WD as a strong new franchise and need a solid first game that lands somewhere over 80% on Metacritic.

 

[King_Moc]

Good move by Ubisoft. It's done when it's done.

 

[Darklor01]

If you release a game and its crap, people will say its crap and move on. If you delay a game this close to release for quality reasons and its crap when it releases, your team will be slaughtered.

 

[GlamFM]

Good move by Ubisoft. It's done when it's done.

Apparently it was done, but simply not good.

 

[StuBurns]

If you release a game and its crap, people will say its crap and move on. If you delay a game this close to release for quality reasons and its crap when it releases, your team will be slaughtered.

If it's identical in six months, people will like it more, simply because they haven't so recently played GTA5.

 

[JP]

Was looking forward to this and it's a part of the bundle I've paid for, May get Assassin's Creed instead, there's no point getting both as I feel this is just going to a less open version of that.

 

[rvy]

Apparently it was done, but simply not good.

Can't be that, AC III got released.

 

[Shinta]

They need to show something to make this look actually interesting.

* Compelling gameplay
* Compelling story
* Compelling next-gen graphics

They haven't shown any of that. They could even get away with just one of those, if it was good.

 

[Can Crusher]

You give them 4 years, 5 studios and probably months of crunch.... and the game gets delayed a month before release. To me that says they have a 100 million euro turd on their hands.

 

[Wynnebeck]

Critically? Maybe or maybe not. But it won't even make a real dent into Watch_Dogs sales.

We have no way of even knowing this any time soon.

 

[GlamFM]

Can't be that, AC III got released.

Different situation though. AC III was a game in an established franchise. With WD they´re making a new one and need a strong first entry.

 

[KingSnake]

This two together make sense:

So my source says the reason is that scores came back from testers and they weren't good. So they're going back to polish the game some more. That's it, not really exciting.

[UPDATE] Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez speaking on an Ubisoft investor call had this to say about the decision to delay Watch Dogs: “In a world of mega-blockbusters we have come to the conclusion that the team needed more time to realise the game’s potential. We consider it to be a long term pillar of our future performance, alongside the likes of Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry.”

As we have seen also from the series of trailers released this year the game seemed to become worse and worse compared to its announcement. And it's not (only) about graphics, but rather about the Gameplay and content. Over time it transformed into an AC3 in modern Chicago rather than an original IP with an original (and great) idea.

 

[Darklor01]

If it's identical in six months, people will like it more, simply because they haven't so recently played GTA5.

I see where you're going with that, but, if the game sucks because its glitchy or just bad in general after a long delay, the net will be all over that.

 

[Jac_Solar]

But will they even continue developing the game, or will they just put it on hold? Since, as people have mentioned, the game was most likely just about to go gold, would they really start the development again? It just seems very unlikely.

What seems likely is that they did this because they want more Assassin's Creed 4 sales -- Watch Dogs looked like a modern Assassin's Creed, and people noticed.

 

[GlamFM]

But will they even continue developing the game, or will they just put it on hold? Since, as people have mentioned, the game was most likely just about to go gold, would they really start the development again? It just seems very unlikely.

What seems likely is that they did this because they want more Assassin's Creed 4 sales -- Watch Dogs looked like a modern Assassin's Creed, and people noticed.

After all we know that´s highly unlikely.

Game wasn´t very good so they are taking 5 or 6 more month to turn it around.

 

[Wiktor]

We have no way of even knowing this any time soon.

We kind of do. Unless Ps4 turns out to be miracle machine that will sell 40 mlns in few months. Since that's unlikely it's also unlikely a title exclusive to it can do serious damage to a game that will be out for 6 platforms. Especially since the competition in open world is now killer and will be much lesser when delayed Watch_Dogs is out.

 

[StuBurns]

I see where you're going with that, but, if the game sucks because its glitchy or just bad in general after a long delay, the net will be all over that.

Certainly true, and I'm sure they'll polish it plenty. But core game design isn't going to change significantly.

This holiday was a horrible time to release this game. GTA5 has raised the bar for open world crime games massively, 'two months' might be enough to visit Los Santos, but no one in the same genre should want to be following that game.

There's also the obvious issue of market cannibalizing. It would be one thing if WD was competing with a Sleeping Dogs sequel or something, but it's directly competing against Assassin's Creed. Whoever wins, Ubisoft lose.

I can see why someone would want to launch this holiday, so much gaming buzz, cement your place in the core early adopters minds. Competition for the next-gen systems software library at the lowest it'll ever be. It'd be perfect if they didn't also have AC4, a sure fire hit, in the same window.

If I was Sony, I'd be a little concerned about shipping The Order and UC4 within three months next year, let alone within three weeks.

 

[Terbinator]

The major "lol" point for me is that W_D is getting delayed yet was revealed a year before AC4.

But as everyone has said - close to GTA, competing with AC4(when was this ever a good idea?), new IP - recipe for disaster, which is a shame, as it was one of the first 'next-gen' games we caught a glimpse of.

 

[Shinta]

The major "lol" point for me is that W_D is getting delayed yet was revealed a year before AC4.

But as everyone has said - close to GTA, competing with AC4(when was this ever a good idea?), new IP - recipe for disaster, which is a shame, as it was one of the first 'next-gen' games we caught a glimpse of.

The major "lol" is that Ubisoft was practically hounding Sony and MS to launch early, for years, because it was holding back their new IPs and they didn't want to put them on current gen systems.

 

[GlamFM]

The major "lol" is that Ubisoft was practically hounding Sony and MS to launch early, for years, because it was holding back their new IPs and they didn't want to put them on current gen systems.

Pure assumption or is this actually true?

 

[JaseC]

The major "lol" point for me is that W_D is getting delayed yet was revealed a year before AC4.

Ubi can afford to pump out AssCreed 4 in a year as a ton of assets are reused, plus it'll sell millions on brand strength alone (AssCreed 3, despite its mixed reception, is actually the highest-selling entry yet). Watch Dogs, being a new IP in a new setting, isn't in that situation.

Edit: Added some stuff.

 

[StuBurns]

Ubi can afford to pump out AssCreed 4 in a year as a ton of assets are reused. That's not really an option for a new IP in a new setting.

Amazing new avatar. Maybe your best yet.

As for publisher's 'hounding' first parties, who knows behind the scenes, but Ubisoft have been vocal about wanting a new generation for a couple of years.

 

[Toski]

Certainly true, and I'm sure they'll polish it plenty. But core game design isn't going to change significantly.

This holiday was a horrible time to release this game. GTA5 has raised the bar for open world crime games massively, 'two months' might be enough to visit Los Santos, but no one in the same genre should want to be following that game.

I think Ubisoft didn't think that GTA5 was going to be as adored as it was. If GTA5 was a slightly better GTA4, WD could've got the same effect Saints Row did when it released.

 

[Shinta]

Pure assumption or is this actually true?

They were saying it very publicly for a while.

 

[KingSnake]

The major "lol" point for me is that W_D is getting delayed yet was revealed a year before AC4.

But as everyone has said - close to GTA, competing with AC4(when was this ever a good idea?), new IP - recipe for disaster, which is a shame, as it was one of the first 'next-gen' games we caught a glimpse of.

I think Ubisoft was surprised about how good the idea behind AC4 turned out, but also how much evident is that WD at this moment is an AC. And they put themselves into this situation in comparison with GTA just because they tried to outgun and outdrive GTA instead of sticking to the starting idea.

 

[GlamFM]

They were saying it very publicly for a while.

In this case its very funny and very ironic indeed.

 

[Quasar]

I never really understood why Ubi planned to put Watchdogs out and go head to head with AC4 in the first place. Seemed like a bad idea to me.

 

[Lime]

Implying that the game has any other interesting mechanic in it.

The hacking thing seems to be as shallow as it gets.

Well, I thought putting some different sort of interaction with the gameworld was implied

 

[Terbinator]

Ubi can afford to pump out AssCreed 4 in a year as a ton of assets are reused, plus it'll sell millions on brand strength alone...

I know, which is why i'm saying it doesn't make sense why they would want to canabalise their new IP however similar they may be.

Watch_Dogs was the poster child, or arguably still is, for next-gen up until we seen The Division at E3. The game would have been a success either way. Why it took them up until a month before launch to decide that, in fact, it isn't in their best interests escapes me completely other than:

>Ubisoft pls.

The only question now is does it stand a chance against Titanfall and Destiny.

I think Ubisoft was surprised about how good the idea behind AC4 turned out, but also how much evident is that WD at this moment is an AC. And they put themselves into this situation in comparison with GTA just because they tried to outgun and outdrive GTA instead of sticking to the starting idea.

I'll admit i have no idea what's new or interesting in AC4 as i turned off the second it was announced due to it solely being a new AC.

 

[JaseC]

Amazing new avatar. Maybe you're best yet.

<3

I know, which is why i'm saying it doesn't make sense why they would want to canabalise their new IP however similar they may be.

I was addressing your first point (that Watch Dogs being delayed is inherently funny because it was unveiled the year before Black Flag, which itself isn't being pushed back despite the shorter development cycle), which is why I quoted it alone.

 

[Terbinator]

I was addressing your first point (that Watch Dogs being delayed is inherently funny because it was unveiled the year before Black Flag, which itself isn't being pushed back despite the shorter development cycle), which is why I quoted it alone.

I see. Yeah, i'm just surprised they even bothered with AC4 at all tbh but i suppose it is guaranteed cash. I mean, we literally had AC3 last year.

 

[JaseC]

I see. Yeah, i'm just surprised they even bothered with AC4 at all tbh but i suppose it is guaranteed cash. I mean, we literally had AC3 last year.

Yeah, when you can push out an entry in a year and it's practically guaranteed to sell at least 7 million within a few months, the choice is an easy one to make.

 

[haihoo]

A pity that the launch line up for PS4 and Xbox One got even thinner, but a wise move from Ubisoft: But they could have noticed earlier that it is not clever to release Watch Dogs and AC4 on the same day.

 

[CaptainDreads]

"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." - Shigeru Miyamoto

Wise words if you ask me. I much prefer to wait for a few months for something really good than get something rushed, broken or unfinished

 

[inky]

Wow, 1 month before release. I'm pretty sure my cousin pre-ordered a PS4 with this game too. I wonder what will happen with that.

Sucks to be Ubi.

 

[PHOENIXZERO]

I'm sure this has been covered in this topic with over 1,300 posts but why repeatedly bring up Infamous? Isn't Infamous coming out in February? Watch Dogs won't be out until months around two to four (probably three) months later.

 

[69wpm]

Just found something interesting on twitter:

VD Dev is proud to welcome a new member, Frederic ZIMMER
(Technical Lead on Watch Dogs !). Well now we are ... 3

So that guy left before the game is finished? Could that mean something? Like he was not satisfied how the game turned out or is evolving?

 

[SentryDown]

Jeuxvideo.com got in touch with Sony : http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2013/00068529-ps4-les-bundles-watch-dogs-honores.htm

Those who preordered Watch Dogs bundle will get their PS4 at launch with a yet to define product (game, accessory, ...). No mention if Watch Dogs will be delivered whenever it comes out

 

[StuBurns]

Just found something interesting on twitter:



So that guy left before the game is finished? Could that mean something? Like he was not satisfied how the game turned out or is evolving?

He could have been contracted till the gold submission date, which they should have now reached, had it not been for the delay.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVosJ4iDe-w

I like TB's take on it.