Ubisoft have always remained extremely optimistic about the upcoming Nintendo Switch, and its potential to do well in the market. Now that we know exactly what the Switch is, they are able to speak more freely about why they believe the device will do well, and how they believe it will slot in the market, which has no shortage of devices that play games, after all.
“The console itself is very modern and it can really answer the need of wanting some high quality gaming experience on your couch at home, with long-sessions, as well as being able to take it with you into another room, or on the bus,” Ubisoft’s French studio head Xavier Poix said to GamesIndustry.biz. “This should definitely appeal to a younger audience. I think there will be room for everyone. I’ll be interesting to discover how people will use this on-the-go feature.
“In the future, we will have to manage and look at how people are playing on Switch. No one can tell what the breakdown will be between playing on the couch – for what I imagine will be longer play sessions – and playing on-the-go for shorter sessions. Switch games need to think about that.”
Poix also discussed the perceived lack of games on the system. In his opinion, Nintendo’s strategy is to spread out the quality games over the course of the year, to keep players constantly engaged- which is not a bad strategy in and of itself. “Nintendo’s strategy is to have a portfolio of strong games that will be released month after month, which I think is a good strategy. If I remember correctly, with the Wii U, there were many titles at launch which lacked the quality to engage the player, they didn’t understand why it was different. In this case, I think Nintendo has proposed a good portfolio. It is a good way of moving forward.”
Finally, he discussed where he thinks the Switch will be able to fit in the present market climate. “Today, we have two ways of playing – and a lot of people are doing both. There is the high-end, high value, experience that you have at home in front of your TV – in multiplayer or not,” he said. “But when the TV isn’t there anymore, if someone else is using it for example, then you are left alone with your mobile phone. So there is a need for Switch, and we probably don’t realize it right now, which is what makes this so interesting. There is a promise of keeping the player in the world that he or she loves. Switch can really change the way people are interacting with their games and the worlds we are creating.
“I am confident Nintendo can create a bridge between the worlds of mobile and TV,” he asserted. “Between the desire to play on the TV, but also the need to play somewhere else because you can’t be in front of your TV all the time.”
The Nintendo Switch launches worldwide on March 3.
