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[IbizaPocholo]

Ubisoft cites new games' longer playing times as sign of success

The company said more time spent in Far Cry 6 means more money spent, too

www.axios.com

Mega-publisher Ubisoft boasted Thursday that players of late 2021's Far Cry 6 game spent more time in it than they did Far Cry 5.

Why it matters: The detail, one of many playing time stats promoted by Ubisoft in recent years, supports the company's concept that the more time its players spend in a game leads to more money spent in-game, t00.

The details: Ubisoft said Far Cry 6 players have spent 45% more time, on average, in that game than players spent in Far Cry 5.

• It also said average playing time in Ubisoft Annecy’s Riders Republic was up 60% compared to that studio’s prior game.
• In both cases, it also reported rises in PRI, or player recurring investment. Read: how much money a player is spending on extra content for the game beyond the initial purchase.
• For FC6 vs FC5, Ubisoft said PRI was up 30%.

The big picture: The stats that a gaming company boasts show how it measures success — and maybe even explain how the company’s games are designed.

Between the lines: Ubisoft has been promoting swelling playing times at least since 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, coinciding with its games getting larger and taking longer to complete.

• The company’s thinking: the longer people play, the more likely they are to spend more in the game.
• While some fans and critics have complained about the bigger games (and while some love it), the company seems to have benefitted.
• During a call with investors Thursday, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said that 2020’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, already 130+ hours long and repeatedly expanded with more free and paid content, passed the $1 billion “consumer revenue” mark in December. He said it's a first for the top-selling franchise.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[EviLore]

 

[Meicyn]

Meanwhile, I bought Psychonauts 2 instead of another bloated Ubi Soft game because I knew I’d get a solid product that didn’t have PRI as a core tenet of the design.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

jesus

 

[b0uncyfr0]

Quantity over Quality - very sad to see them go this route. Origins was a good start but they fucked that up.

 

[Venom Snake]

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Games that get boring quickly are inferior to games with depth. More news at 11:00.

 

[FunkMiller]

Please stop buying Ubisoft games.

It’s really not worth it.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Please stop buying Ubisoft games.

It’s really not worth it.

Been without Ubisoft and EA for a long time now.

It’s trash

 

[Damigos]

"Player engagement"

 

[Oddvintagechap]

Perfect company for the subscription model.

I would burn my PS5 if Sony bought them.

 

[lh032]

Perfect company for the subscription model.

I would burn my PS5 if Sony bought them.

haha true, i rather Sony go for other publisher.
Last game I played is far cry 5 from them, still plays the same.

 

[Zeroing]

i haven’t played anything from them in quite some years and I don’t think I’m missing out.

Also this stats plus their previous comments on being willing to be brought seem targeted at Sony.
Before Sony brought Bungie and made the studio independent, Ubisoft was quiet.

 

[Warablo]

I like Ubisoft IP's, but feel like bloat and balancing are their biggest issues.

 

[The Eradicator]

Ubisoft: Let's make our games twice as long as they were before!
Ubisoft: Hey look! It is taking players 45% longer to beat the game, so it MUST BE GOOD!

 

[kyussman]

If you set your game up as a delivery service for me spending more money then you've lost me.

 

[N1tr0sOx1d3]

 

[ZehDon]

Quantity over Quality - very sad to see them go this route.

Absolutely. When I see the size of their game worlds, I wince. I'm not going to spend a hundred hours two 100 copies of the same activity.

 

[b0uncyfr0]

Absolutely. When I see the size of their game worlds, I wince. I'm not going to spend a hundred hours two 100 copies of the same activity.

100% - i'm basically done with Ubi games.

 

[Bartski]

cringe tag where?

 

[KungFucius]

I spent much more time in the last AC than pretty much any game and hated it for the last 30 hours. I just wanted to finish. And by that I really mean I wanted it to end. Fuck you Ubisoft for considering that a sign of success. That is just a sign of me wanting a completion after wasting more than a work week with your fucking game and then still having to spend nearly a miserable work week doing the same shit over and over again to finish it. I think this marketing BS might be enough to get me to drop AC for good.

 

[Camreezie]

They should see if the quality of the game increases does the PRI too. Quality over bloat all day

 

[Kiraly]

Ubisoft: Let's make our games twice as long as they were before!
Ubisoft: Hey look! It is taking players 45% longer to beat the game, so it MUST BE GOOD!

It literally says right below it:

• In both cases, it also reported rises in PRI, or player recurring investment. Read: how much money a player is spending on extra content for the game beyond the initial purchase.
• For FC6 vs FC5, Ubisoft said PRI was up 30%.

It's not only playtime if you had cared to read the OP.

 

[Louay]

I guess UBI found it's market, UBI Games are not bad at all the only problem here they are bloated and can be unbalanced.

 

[MrTentakel]

I spent much more time in the last AC than pretty much any game and hated it for the last 30 hours. I just wanted to finish. And by that I really mean I wanted it to end. Fuck you Ubisoft for considering that a sign of success. That is just a sign of me wanting a completion after wasting more than a work week with your fucking game and then still having to spend nearly a miserable work week doing the same shit over and over again to finish it. I think this marketing BS might be enough to get me to drop AC for good.

Yeah, they (ok I) wasted my time, they failed to sell me extra stuff in that time and they lost my business for the next installment because I feel disgusted just thinking about another hour in an Ubisoft game.
-> We will see if that`s a net benefit from a business point of view.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Can’t remember the last Ubisoft game I genuinely enjoyed.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

 

[KXVXII9X]

Good for them, I guess. I absolutely detest this design philosophy of bloated games. I would much rather have more focused games like Sifu where everything is designed meticulously for a complete and consistent experience.

I worry that the industry is going full force into the quantity over quality approach. Gamers seem to like it and there is nothing I can do anymore but support the kinds of games I enjoy.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

They should see if the quality of the game increases does the PRI too. Quality over bloat all day

People don't play bloat. They quit bloat.

Longer engagement means players are finding gameplay to be more interesting for longer periods of time.

 

[cormack12]

When the time to walk between mission points is increased by 45% wtf do they expect.

 

[Von Hugh]

I don't like this timeline in gaming.

 

[Captain Toad]

GAMES AS A SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!

/barf

I get it though. After about 60 hours into Assassin's Creed Valhalla, if I could buy something for ten bucks to make the boredom end sooner, I may have. Instead, I just threw in the towel and felt like I suffered all those hours only to give up.

 

[Braag]

Ubisoft is the closest thing to a video game factory we have right now. It's like that cookie brand you used to like, but instead of making a new product, they're just churning out new flavors all the time which aren't that good.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

GAMES AS A SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!

/barf

I get it though. After about 60 hours into Assassin's Creed Valhalla, if I could buy something for ten bucks to make the boredom end sooner, I may have. Instead, I just threw in the towel and felt like I suffered all those hours only to give up.

You played 60 hours of Assassins Creed Valhalla? Weird flex on Ubisoft don't you think?

People, try quitting games you don't find fun. Play games you enjoy. It's a crazy strategy but it just might work.

 

[Captain Toad]

You played 60 hours of Assassins Creed Valhalla? Weird flex on Ubisoft don't you think?

People, try quitting games you don't find fun. Play games you enjoy. It's a crazy strategy but it just might work.

It takes A LOT for me to not finish a game once I started. It's irrational, but I can't shake the nagging feeling I get for not finishing what I've started.

 

[Swift_Star]

Trash and cringe.

 

[Swift_Star]

I spent much more time in the last AC than pretty much any game and hated it for the last 30 hours. I just wanted to finish. And by that I really mean I wanted it to end. Fuck you Ubisoft for considering that a sign of success. That is just a sign of me wanting a completion after wasting more than a work week with your fucking game and then still having to spend nearly a miserable work week doing the same shit over and over again to finish it. I think this marketing BS might be enough to get me to drop AC for good.

nah, I think people actually like these games, people love repetition, they play gachas and mobile games that are way grindy and love them. I don’t think you align with what most Ubisoft players think.
And I hate Ubisoft.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Even more bloat incoming! AC 250hrs of map markers!

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

nah, I think people actually like these games, people love repetition, they play gachas and mobile games that are way grindy and love them. I don’t think you align with what most Ubisoft players think.
And I hate Ubisoft.

Gacha and mobile games don't do well on console. Ubisoft does.

 

[Nikana]

The mainstream have spoken.

Our days are numbered. Save me GAF.

 

[Mercador]

Let's kill 8 boars for another time, it's a new zone after all.

 

[Swift_Star]

Gacha and mobile games don't do well on console. Ubisoft does.

And Genshin Impact is doing pretty well.

 

[Edgelord79]

About 20 hours in I dropped Valhalla as I stopped enjoying it and felt more like a job with no payoff. Odyssey was the same way for me. Very disappointing. Division 1 and Origins where the last Ubi games I enjoyed.

It's very frustrating because the talent is there, the worlds are great, but the game itself is just mediocre.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

And Genshin Impact is doing pretty well.

What Ubisoft games are gacha (or mobile style) on console?

 

[Swift_Star]

What Ubisoft games are gacha (or mobile style) on console?

Again, you missed the point. Read what I said 1000 times until you understand it.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I hope this line of thinking doesn’t ruin the next Division game.

Division 2 actually had a real good expansion that I got for like $8 and I never felt compelled to buy anything other than that.

 

[Zeroing]

Good for them, I guess. I absolutely detest this design philosophy of bloated games. I would much rather have more focused games like Sifu where everything is designed meticulously for a complete and consistent experience.

I worry that the industry is going full force into the quantity over quality approach. Gamers seem to like it and there is nothing I can do anymore but support the kinds of games I enjoy.

its not even quantity over quality anymore… it’s all about how longer can I keep you - the gamer playing the game!

Ubisoft is the closest thing to a video game factory we have right now. It's like that cookie brand you used to like, but instead of making a new product, they're just churning out new flavors all the time which aren't that good.

There’s no hope for games to be more diverse and creative. Nobody wants to risk new ideas or break from the formula! It’s now all about big IPs and repetition

 

[Stuart360]

Please stop buying Ubisoft games.

It’s really not worth it.

But i love Ubisoft games. As an open world game fan Ubi IMO make the best.
In fact when i was doing my Top 10 games of last gen, like 5 or 6 of the places were taken by Ubisoft games.

My Playtimes (when available) for the Ubisoft games i played last gen -

Assassins Creed Origins - 122 hours
Assassins Creed Odyssey - 367 hours
Assassins Creed Valhalla - 92 hours
The Division - 89 hours
The Division 2 - 157 hours
Ghost Recon Wildlands - 66 hours
Ghost Recon Breakpoint - 92 hours
Far Cry Primal - 72 hours
Far Cry 5 - 82 hoiurs
Far Cry New Dawn - 18 hours (it sucked)
The Crew 2 - 49 hours

Played WatchDogs 1 and 2 but its not giving my playtime for them on Uplay for some reason.

Dont really get the hate for Ubi games, never have.

 

[Braag]

There’s no hope for games to be more diverse and creative. Nobody wants to risk new ideas or break from the formula! It’s now all about big IPs and repetition

They don't need to reinvent the wheel, their old games like AC2 or Black Flag were good cause they made you care for the stuff you did in the game, why you climbed that tower or killed those enemies. I played Watch Dogs 3 for a good 7 hours, nice premise but the story was just boring and told through characters which were literal cardboard cutouts, it just didn't grab me at all. It's like they need to capture the soul of their old games again somehow. That's why their games feel like they come fresh off a factory assembly line.