Michel Ancel: Xbox One “Went a Bit Too Fast” With Always Online

Much has been said about the Xbox One’s former DRM policies – and now, Rayman creator Michel Ancel of Ubisoft Montpellier adds his two cents to the discussion. Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Ancel credits Microsoft for seeing that the future is always-online as more and more games like Destiny and The Division seek to obliterate the barriers between single and multiplayer gaming.

“We think about that a lot at Ubisoft – because we have a lot of big, AAA games that are hero-based – and we think that the transition must be smooth. I think what happened with the Xbox One, [Microsoft] are in the trend. What they wanted to do was a business trend, I would say, and they went a bit too fast. It was too brutal, maybe, especially with the gamers.

“But in some ways they realised that the connection is going to be the meaning [of the next generation]. You will want to want to use your console to be connected. Even now, with a phone, if the internet is not working you’re like, ‘it’s useless’. [Microsoft] knows that consoles are going to be like that, but they did too many things at the same time.

“Don’t force them to do it. Make something so good that they want to be connected. That’s the difference. Make people, in a positive way, go in the direction you want.”