Ubisoft Montreal may be in the news lately for bugs swamping Assassin’s Creed: Unity and Far Cry 4 but it has seen a measure of success this year with Child of Light. The side-scrolling 2D RPG developed on the UbiArt Framework engine saw an excellent critical reception and according to creative producer Patrick Plourde in conversation with Games Industry International, it was profitable as well.
But not in the way most would think. Child of Light apparently cost a few millions to make so, “It’s not as profitable as Assassin’s Creed is profitable, but it’s profitable enough that we would have been able to fund a sequel. Or if it had been my company, I would be driving a Ferrari and doing donuts.”
Plourde also says that, “The main reason why I got greenlit on the project was because I had carte blanche for making Far Cry 3. I didn’t want to make Far Cry 3, but they said, ‘Pat, if you do that and help build that brand, we’re going to give you a free shot at the game you want.’”
This is similar to Far Cry 4 director Alex Hutchinson who was recently approved for his own personal project once the open world FPS released. Will it be as good as Child of Light? Will the sequel be as compelling visually and story-wise? We’ll find out in the coming months.