95% PC piracy rate hurting Ubisoft
Wednesday, August 22, 2012 4:03 PM
The French video game publisher Ubisoft has claimed that only five to seven per cent of its PC boxed product players have paid for the privilege.
In response, the firm is turning to the free-to-play model (F2P), which according to chief executive Yves Guillemot, yields the same proportion of paying players.
"The advantage of F2P is that we can get revenue from countries where we couldn't previously - places where our products were played but not bought," he told GamesIndustry International editor Matt Martin at Gamescom.
"Now with F2P we gain revenue, which helps brands last longer."
Although the percentage of paying players is similar between the two methods of delivery, F2P has a number of advantages over boxed products, including lower distribution costs and the ability to recycle content and build it up over time.
However, Ubisoft, which is behind popular titles such as Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, has not completely abandoned traditional gaming in anticipation of the next generation of consoles.
"People are saying that the traditional market is declining and that F2P is everything - I'm not saying that," explained Guillemot.
"I think that the new consoles will give a huge boost to the industry."
However, given that there is no sign of a new PlayStation or Xbox on the horizon, Guillemot is concerned about the length of time being taken between releases.
"I think it's very important for new generations to come regularly with innovations for the industry, so I think we've been waiting a bit too long," he said.
"What is important is that when those new generations do come, they bring enough innovation to make the market strong again."
A lack of movement from Sony and Microsoft meant that this year's E3 was a bit of damp squib - with only Nintendo brining its Wii U to the party.