TRADE LAUNCH GUIDE
Ubisoft’s 3D vision
The biggest third-party force at the 3DS launch is Ubi, with eight games due for release in the first three months. James Batchelor speaks to brand manager Jan Sanghera about the publisher’s plans for the handheld
THE ORIGINAL DS presented several new challenges to publishers. Not only did they have to account for two screens, touch controls and other functions when it comes to crafting their games, they also had to consider the much broader audience that runaway hits like Brain Trainingand Nintendogs introduced to the market. Some firms thrived on this new handheld business model, some didn’t. One of the most prominent successes throughout the device’s lifecycle has been Ubisoft – and now the firm is hoping it will strike gold again on 3DS. Over the last seven years, the
French publisher brought its biggest brands to the DS, including Assassin’s Creed, Raving Rabbidsand various Tom Clancytitles.
More importantly, it crafted original franchises that tapped directly into Nintendo’s new audiences – and these efforts have most certainly paid off.
26 March 11th 2011
“We were pleased with the success of the original DS, especially as we had developed a range of titles that appealed to its large and diverse customer base,” says Ubisoft brand manager Jan Sanghera. “The real success came from
marketing to a new and younger demographic and providing the software to appeal to them. Our DS franchises like Combat of Giants, Imagineand Petzcatered to this audience. In fact, 50 per cent of seven to 11-year-old girls who owned a DS owned at least one Imaginetitle, which illustrates how we were able to reach a new gaming audience through that platform. “We also catered for an older demographic with our puzzle games like Classic Word Gamesand popular licences like Puzzlerand Scrabble.” So with a new Nintendo handheld on the horizon, Ubisoft is once again determined to make the most of
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any new opportunities it presents. The firm has a total of eight games due for release during the 3DS’ launch window – four of which will be available on day one.
We expect the 3DS to have a broad consumer appeal from launch.
Jan Sanghera, Ubisoft
GAMES FOR EVERYONE It’s a line-up that forms the biggest third-party presence on the new platform, and ensures Ubisoft will have everyone’s attention as the 3DS takes its first steps. Learning from its experiences with the DS, the publisher has focused on variety to cater for every taste. “We expect the 3DS to have a broad consumer appeal from launch and as such have ensured we offer a variety of titles,” says Sanghera. “We’ve been able to take advantage of the 3DS’ innovations to develop exciting new games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, which is the first tactical, turn-based Ghost Recongame. This, along with
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