14 DAY TRIAL // Ubisoft's recent decision to delay the release of Watch Dogs was prompted in part to the popularity of Grand Theft Auto 5 and to the crowded release schedule in the current months before the end of 2013, at least according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.
Ubisoft surprised quite a lot of fans when it confirmed this week that Watch Dogs, its long-awaited open-world action adventure title, wouldn't make its November 2013 launch. Instead, the game will now appear for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS4, or Xbox One in the second quarter of 2014.
According to Wedbush Securities Analyst Michael Pachter, this decision was prompted, in a large part, by the popularity of GTA 5 and the crowded holiday release schedule.
"We believe that management was also concerned about the strong competition for wallet share Watch Dogs faced at the holidays from Grand Theft Auto V, Battlefield 4, and a new Call of Duty, among others," he said, via Videogamer.
"Grand Theft Auto V is only adding to industry uncertainty, as while it is bringing many previously-disconnected gamers back to the market, it also has achieved record-breaking sales that have tapped a certain percentage of gamer holiday spending months ahead of time."
The release of Watch Dogs in a less crowded period could ensure that the game kicks off a brand new and profitable franchise for Ubisoft, whose current series aren't performing as well as they used to.
"By releasing Watch Dogs in Q1:15, Ubisoft has given its developers the opportunity to fully maximize the game's sales potential in FY:15 and build a lasting franchise that the company could use to offset any future weakness for its established key franchises (displayed most recently by the disappointing Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist)."
Even in the second quarter of 2014, there will still be competition for Watch Dogs from big titles like Titanfall, Destiny, or the next Halo, according to Pachter.
"We are somewhat concerned about competition in Ubisoft's Q1, however, with games like EA's Titanfall, Activision's Destiny and Microsoft's Halo 5 all targeting the same launch window. We don't think it is important that Watch Dogs (or any of the other three games) launches in Q1, and we expect all of the game publishers to behave rationally when setting release dates to avoid competition wherever possible."
As of yet, none of games set to appear in 2014 has a concrete release date.