14 DAY TRIAL // In a relatively short period of time, Ubisoft has managed to present itself as a capable developer and producer, generating a lot of successful games and lengthy franchises. And one thing it's especially proud of, and proud enough to plaster this as an intro message on some of its titles, is that Ubisoft games are created by a multicultural team of varied beliefs. But, driven by this idea, the company might have been pushed into something that's a little bit more than it can chew.
To celebrate the release of Assassin's Creed II in Japan, Ubisoft's Executive Director for the European, Middle East, and Asia/Pacific territories, Alain Corre, offered Famitsu an interview regarding the game and Ubisoft's general activities. A very interesting thing the interview revealed was that the developer planned to expand its portfolio by adding new titles to a yet-untapped game genre. Apparently, the company is interested in creating an RPG, and not just a generic one, but it's edging more towards a JRPG.
"People often say that Japan is packed with hardcore gamers, and it's important to understand what it is they're looking for," Corre said in the Famitsu interview. "Our mission is to create hit games on the same level as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. We'd like to see everyone in Japan root for us. Perhaps someday our efforts will result in a major hit on the level of a Dragon Quest."
While the genre is a bit out of reach for the company, this isn't something it's oblivious to, so it's not like it's going in head first, blindfolded and ignorant. "We've made shooters, strategy, sports, action, and adventure games, but not any RPGs yet. Still, we're open to all possibilities. If we can get a quality team of RPG-oriented developers, I'd love to release one. If we have a chance to work with Japanese creators, then I'm sure we can make a game that appeals to the Japanese audience."
As far as Ubisoft making an RPG goes, this could either be a critical hit or a critical miss. The game could either be an amazing product and blow everybody's mind away, or it could turn out to be a disaster, a cheap wannabe that would reflect the company's lack of experience with the genre.