The initial delay for Watch Dogs was out of left field – it’s easy to forget just how disheartened gamers’ reactions were back in October, especially with the game only one month from release at the time. Speaking to [a]list daily, Ubisoft marketing executive Tony Key spoke about how it was the right decision at the time but still hurt the company significantly.
“This is not an easy decision to make for any company. On the day we announced that, I think our stock dropped 40 percent or some ridiculous number. We’ve recovered since because people are seeing the rest of our lineup and it turns out maybe it was a good idea. We had no choice, despite the fact that it put us in a tough financial position in the short term. We’re a long-term company, with a long-term vision, and Watch Dogs for us is a long-term play. We had no choice. We knew it was the right thing to do, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.”
For other franchises like Assassin’s Creed, which has been annualized for a good few years now, it’s easier for Ubisoft to avoid delays. “The Assassin’s Creed team has gotten so much experience now in working on a schedule that they’ve found that delicate balance of being able to put their heart and soul into the game and still making a schedule work. But a new brand, as you’ve seen time and time again from publishers everywhere, it’s very difficult to make that work.”
Watch Dogs will be out on May 27th for sure this time, and it will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and PC.
