Ubisoft announces less focus on FPS, alternative gamers rejoice

Comment with Facebook

Comment with Dtoid

destructoid japanator | tomopop

Destructoid is gaming news, community, videos, and sometimes love. Take the tour or jump in with Facebook:

big news
rumors
originals
releases
reviews
previews
podcasts

faq

Home First Person Shooter

10:32 AM on 03.18.2008, Colette Bennett

52 comments | 5619 views

Ubisoft announces less focus on FPS, alternative gamers rejoice photo

#First Person Shooter #Ubisoft

In a recent interview with Gamepro, Ubisoft game designer Phil Therien announced that Ubi's focus on hardcore FPS titles would soon soften, saying that the genre no longer makes enough money to be a "viable business practice." I feel like every time I turn around, ten of my friends are enjoying a game of Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4, so what gives?

Therien went on the comment that the market for shooters had become "too narrow", and that compromises had to be made in order to appeal to all consumers in the gaming market. His bottom line, as stated in the interview:

"Keep in mind however that we want our games to be accessible to as many people as possible, otherwise we just couldn't keep making games."

The funny thing here is, I feel as if FPS is the genre that most non-gamers would be open to (at least, as far as young men are concerned.) While the meat of Ubi's concern is obviously financial, I can't help but think the FPS genre has suffered since the superstar ascent of Halo has saturated the market with other titles trying to seek out similar claims to fame. What's your take: good move on Ubi's part, or glaring error?

[Via Aussie-Nintendo -- thanks, Jonathan]

Continue: More Ubisoft stories

This is what Metro 2033's special edition looks like
21 comments

Rise of the Triad getting ported to the iPhone this year
15 comments

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to have WWII level(s)
27 comments

Modern Warfare 2 'care package' patch incoming soon
54 comments

next 50 comments

51 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Jetsetlemming

In my mind I don't really associate Ubisoft with FPS titles, so I wasn't even aware it had become a major genre for them recently. O_o;

Actually, in all honestly, the primary thing I associate Ubisoft with is horrible PC ports, so I may be a bit biased to comment on this.

The Young Scot

Whilst I love FPS games, a bit of variety never hurt anyone.

However it does seem like they're doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

As long as I get my Vegas 2, I couldn't give a flying monkey's anus what they do next

Surf314

I like FPS's but they have become very formulaic. Most don't try to tell a good story so what you are really left with is multiplayer, and generally you only have time for one or two good online games.

I play a lot of TF2, which makes me not want Halo 3 or COD4. I want UT3 mostly for Nostalgia purposes because I used to play the first couple at LAN parties in HS way back in the day (I'm old). So I can see the problem, your competing against something that is persistent because of it's replay value. It's like competing against WOW in a way. Where if you are competing against a game like Prince of Persia you can just wait till everyone's beaten it.

It's like television, if someone owns a time slot you don't compete with them even if you have quality programming. You just try and dominate a different time slot and wait till it wears out.

big filth

bring on the 3rd person shooters!!

MaxVest

I do agree with him to the extent that when you give a controller to someone who doesn't often play games, FPS are the most intimidating controls to learn because people keep shooting at your head.

But this sounds like a PR spin on "Tom Clancy games sell way better than our FPS efforts".

TheBrain

"I feel as if FPS is the genre that most non-gamers would be open to (at least, as far as young men are concerned.)"

Actually, I'm not sure the non-gamer population in that particular demographic is very large. I think what Ubi is doing makes sense as there has been a recent glut of FPS titles that fail to differentiate themselves. I just hope this isn't their way of saying all future development talent is going into Rayman Raving Rabbids 3 and 4

smellybird

In other words, they are going to make Wii games.

vuffi_raa

in my view FPS games, unless there is something absolutely specatular about them has pretty much gone dead- not because of the first person aspect, but you can only run around and shoot people mindlessly for so long and it gets really boring- personally I think that the first person genre needs to expand to more fprpg's or fp-puzzlers(which is kind of what portal is) to keep the genre interesting.

broonor

Moar Rabbids, please

fromagex

Please make no more 1st person shooters ever. They all suck.

(except Black- needs a sequel)

akathatoneguy

Good move. Sure, Halo 3 and CoD 4 are very successful, but the market is very saturated with FPS games right now. I'm not very likely to buy more than a couple of them, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. For me, there's no point to owning CoD 4 AND Rainbow Six 2 AND Halo 3 AND...well you get the point. Just like we don't need fifteen different NBA games a year, we don't need so many first-person shooters. In the end, people are basically going to play the couple most popular ones, anyway.

Jasper_

The console FPS genre is such a waste. Halo 3 was so slow paced because the controller can't handle what a mouse can.

Hate if you want but people that argue the controller is just as good or better simply have never played a FPS on a PC. Pure and simple.

slobu

Disclaimer: The last FPS I actually liked was Doom 2.

It's about time developers moved past Super Mario 64 and Quake. I don't fathom the reasons cited but, whatever. 3D for 3Ds sake should stay on the PC where players can have an emotional Crysis every time they hafta fork over $500 dollars for a video card. The new generation of consoles are mature enough to start fielding less generic titles.

Technophile

I don't think any one company should focus on a specific genre.
Give your developers some room to breathe rather then making them churn out update after update or rehash after rehash.

I'm firmly against doing something just because someone else did and was successful at it. If you are doing it because you think you can do it better, or bring something to the table that lifts up the genre as a whole, then go for it but if your whole motivation is "Well they sold a million doing this, lets copy it" then you will never be as successful.

akathatoneguy

@ Jasper-

It seems that a console vs. PC war can be started in just about any thread, eh? Nice try.

Many of us will concede that you can aim faster using a mouse. However, I will not pay thousands of dollars to experience that ease. Also, moving around with a keyboard does not sound like fun, sorry.

Azeron

Good job taking his comment out of context. What he was saying is that UBI won't be making shooters like the old entries in the Rainbow Six series with realistic guns and body armor, as opposed to Vegas' fast and loose approach. Nowhere did he say that they would be making less shooters.

Tuxy

FPS's have been sucking ass for years, even before FPS made the jump from console to PC. If it wasn't for games like Bioshock I wouldn't even own an FPS in my collection.

Azeron

Here's the full quote:

lavalant asks: I'm a longtime fan of the old Ghost Recon 1 games on Xbox 1 and PC, mainly becuase they were more realistic, with one-hit kills, no recharging health-bars and massive levels. The newer Ubisoft shooters seem geared towards a mass market. Are there any plans to release or re-release any of these old super-realistic shooters on next-gen consoles?

Phil Therien: I doubt we will ever go back to really hardcore only shooters. The market was too narrow for it to be a viable business choice. We would like to be able to please both sides but compromises have to be made. We have some ideas to improve on the situation though - keep in mind however that we want our games to be accessible to as many people as possible, otherwise we just couldn't keep making games.

Source: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=94737

king3vbo

GOOD. Im so tired of FPS games

Shalashaska

Hmmm I never really thought about UBI Soft as being a FPS company either. Oh well, maybe this means we are finally getting a Beyond Good and Evil sequel! *crosses fingers*

galagabug

somewhere tom clancy is working feverishly on a series of espionage titles revolving around matching 3 items of the same color.

Guagloves

Yay for some variety!

Azeron

...

It's nice to see people READING the comments before adding their own.

B-Radicate

Maybe they should focus on fresh games instead of rehashes, which the newest R6 apparently is. Sad sad disappointment. At least they realize they can't compete as well as they used to.

rbrooks

it's tough to make a fps that spawns all friends to buy it (halo)..but if you hit that goldmine, it can be one of the most rewarding businesses.

Y0j1mb0

Uh huh..just bring out R6:Vegas 2, that's all I want from them.

Klytus

But without a FPS scheme, I might be able to tell exactly where I am in the game world, or see whats going on behind or 'gasp' beside me! And we all know that everybodies favorite character isnt mario or snake, its 'hand & gun barrel'

Drunken Haze

Since when did ubisoft focus on FPS?

What ubisoft focuses on is games with tom clancys name on the frount.

ShinSennju

Good, but I hope that other companies go the same path, as I for one want the FPS era to die already, I want more variety in games.

I`m ok with one or two every now and then, but when every big budget game is an FPS I get kind of pissed off.

Aerox

I like FPS, but the market is so over-saturated with them, that I think this is a great move on Ubisoft's part.

That is, assuming they make good games in other genres. The absolute worst thing that could happen if they put out a bunch of shit, it doesn't sell, and then they run around bemoaning the fact that you have to make an FPS to sell games and people listen to them.

Rucksack

Ubisoft should just go back to the good ol' military-simulation style shooters they started capturing the market share with.

I can't stand the current vogue of recharging health bars, neigh endless ammo, and magical cover systems!

Azeron

@Rucksack, you're out of luck, that's exactly the kind of shooter he says there's no market for anymore.

HarassmentPanda

I can definitely understand what he's saying. While ten of your friends may be playing Halo 3 or COD4, that's the problem... they're playing Halo 3 and COD4. Countless other FPS games have come out since those two titles and they're not selling well.

What's happening to first person shooters is what happened to platformers in the 1990s. The market has become super-saturated with titles trying to cash in on the success of a few stellar titles. And, like platformers, I predict that all but a few stellar first persons shooters are going to disappear from the market and a new genre is going to rear it's ugly head. Right now it looks to be casual games and MMOs.

Rucksack

@Azeron

A man can only dream.

animateria

FPSs has potential to explore new themes.

Look at Portal. Great use of a First-Person view.

Okay! its not a shooter, but it was definitely a different use of the Half-Life 2 engine.

The problem with FPSs are that they are still mostly Military shooters, realistic or scifi.

They need to move away from military action and create a new atmosphere. Bioshock was definitely a change in that kind of sense.

We need less generic military shooters and more Bioshocks and Portals!

Good, now they can get around to developing Splinter Cell Conviction.

Lavallee017

good move in my opinion. There will always be plenty of FPS games out there and I'm sure at least 30% of which that will focus on WWII but as for Ubisoft it will be a shame to see the glory of R6 die out but if it gives more room for intense 3rd person RTS shooters like Tom Clancy's End War then I am all for it.

also R6V > Halo 3 all day as far as I'm concerned

SubOrbital

As someone who is sick of all these military FPS games, I'm glad to hear this. I'm not a fan of FPS in general, and there are so many these days. I'd definitely rather see Splinter Cell.

liquidninja

In the history of major video game genres no one genre has lasted (in popularity) forever:
Fighter
Racer
and eventually the
FPS

Yet those are the main games I give my time to.

RskimB

Thats good news

Azeron

Destructoid really shouldn't use a fifth-hand source for an article.

He did not say they would be making less shooters people! You can read what he actually said here: http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=94737

Cowboy TTop

I understand where Ubi are coming from. The market is always changing. Halo 3 and CoD4 are gonna have the majority of players of fps games online.

FPS games have had to change from what the PC was offering, unfortuntely its not PC games that are selling like hot cakes, so this is understandable. I too own a PC, but its this that most PC hardcore gamers don't seem to grasp. Waving the flag of nostalgia for PC days gone by does little.

So long as i get me some GRAW2 I'll be happy. Perhaps now would be a good time to revive a BGaE type game.

SFLUFAN

He wasn't talking about making less FPS games -- he was addressing whether the Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon series would ever return to their more tactical (and VASTLY superior) roots which, according to him, they never will.

Just further evidence that the average gamer has become too lazy and too stupid to appreciate the sort of sophisticated experience that Rainbow Six (through Raven Shield) and the first Ghost Recon and its expansions provided.

mistic

variety is good, but I'd rather have a decently made FPS that I can have fun with then a 'gimmicky' revolutionary title that gets boring after 2 hours of playing...

you think they are insinuating that they'll be jumping on the 'casual'-bandwaggon pretty soon? ( as every developper seems to think there's some kind of hidden money-pot to be found... )

Eschatos

That's good, new genres are always awesome.

atheistium

As much as I've recently gotten into FPS, I do feel that we need new IP's! Seriously.

skido85

Thieren is exactly right, if you include people other than young males in the statement "all consumers in the gaming market". Not a whole lot of older folks, parents, young children, teen girls, etc. are big on FPSs. As far as a lot of them are concerned, FPSs are videogames and if they're not interested in any of them, then they must not like video games. It seems like Ubisoft is trying to un-define video games so the medium can go back to being a catch-all. Imagine a market of hardcore Barbie gamers -- people who don't play Halo or some other FPS or sports game, but are still obsessive, buy-every-game-in-the-franchise fans. If Ubisoft can pull it off it'd be a gold mine.

Noah

Good idea. These days my 360's boring the crap out of me, every other title is a run of the mill FPS....I've been spending more time with XBLA titles than with 'real' games.

TheBrain

Reading the full quote kind of contradicts this article. They are focusing less on hardcore tactical FPS and are making it more accessible (see GRAW, Rainbow Six Vegas).

bmaupin

BG&E2 now, yes? Thanks!

prev	next 50 comments

Click connect and comment instantly!

get involved

register or login
post a blog
post a forum
enter a contest
contribute a news tip
suggest a feature
be a guest editor

support

new member's guide
login assistance
tech support
report abuse
email our editors
read our dev blog
nuclear crisis?

keep in touch

RSS feed
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
Flickr
Game nights
Meetup+play online

seriously

about Destructoid
advertising
terms of use
privacy policy
jobs at MM
buy our crap

our network

Tomopop
Japanator
Despingation?

Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
living the dream since March 16, 2006

New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds

Comments policy

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?

Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!

Got news? tips@destructoid.com | Dtoid Twitter

New Videos

Mega64: Third GDC ad is straight out of Anthony Burch's mind

NaturalMotion guys explain Backbreaker in developer diary

Explore MLB 2K10's Total Control Pitching and Hitting

Naughty Bear does not approve of Peanut Butter Jelly Time

What happens if you hate BioShock 2?

A look at Supreme Commander 2's 'The Kraken' in action

Why not? Cloud Strife hacked into Smash Bros. Brawl

more videos

- The Dtoid Army is 56753 strong -

Showing Cblogs with 3+ faps show all

Call for entries: the Areas of my Expertise

New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide

Originals

Jim Sterling: How Aliens are blatantly better than Predators
Analyzing No More Heroes 2, part 2: The bosses, part 2

Destructoid interview: The music of BioShock 2

Indie games don't have to act like indie games

The art of The Journalism Show: Episode 03

Analyzing No More Heroes 2, part 1: The bosses

Ten things I didn't love about Final Fantasy XIII

Wah wah wah Sonic the Hedgehog 4!

Ten things I loved about Final Fantasy XIII

Rev Rant: Paragon/Renegade

Counterpoint: Mass Effect 2

The ugly truth: I may not be good at videogames

Is Heavy Rain doing videogames a disservice?

iPad: Likely to change gaming, just not yours

Rev Rant: the Wrex Paradox

The best indie games of '09 (that I forgot to mention)

Beyond Dead Space: Sledgehammer Games

How Darksiders is blatantly better than Zelda

The making of The Journalism Show: Episode 02

The simple math of review scores

More Destructoid Originals

We are Destructoid tips@destructoid.com
	Nick Chester Editor-in-Chief	Niero Founder, Big Boss
	Jim Sterling Reviews Editor	Hamza Aziz Community Manager
	Dale North News Editor	Rey Gutierrez Destructoid Video EIC
	Anthony Burch Features Editor	Brad Nicholson Managing Editor
	Tom Fronczak	Colette Bennett
	Ashley Davis	Ben Perlee
	Conrad Zimmerman	Chad Concelmo
	Jonathan Holmes	Jonathan Ross
	Brad Rice	Jordan Devore
	Will Maddock	Matthew Razak
	Josh Tolentino	Joseph Leray
	Topher Cantler	Samit Sarkar


	Adam Dork Daniel Lingen Hollie Bennett	Joe Burling Mikey Turvey