[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]ou heard it here, folks. Major gaming publisher Ubisoft has announced its plans to drop support for titles catering to older generation consoles, such as the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, in favor of their companies’ newer consoles, the Xbox One and Playstation 4 respectively. This comes as a shock to gamers, who have seen long standing resolve from the company in the past decade with its past franchises. However, the mainstay Just Dance series of games will continue to receive support for the previous consoles, as stated:
“On Just Dance, we will continue to bring old-gen console versions, but on the other products like Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, The Division, and the unannounced franchise, we will not have old-gen versions” – Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot
While not at a total loss, the company has pulled the majority of their franchises out to be released later on the Xbox One and Playstation 4. This drop has occurred due to compiled sales rates of 4th quarter sales, with aggregate sales in next gen consoles towering over their previous gen counterparts. As seen in other reports, this revelation poses a disheartening view for the majority of older console gamers, though there is hope that Nintendo’s WiiU is not getting the same treatment, as the publisher’s thoughts on their departure from the console are not known at this time. But, as Ubisoft has previously stated, their previous ‘mature’ hit, Watch Dogs would be their last on the Nintendo platform.
Personally as a gamer myself, I can understand the lack of marketability for the previous generations, however I believe that leaving the Just Dance franchise as the remaining supported game may not be the best decision. While the wholesome, family friendly game that is still viable enough to aggregate sales for the company, it seems like a bold move to quit the other games development so suddenly when the gaming market is on the fringes of having new releases. Though as is the case in this new age of entertainment, with advanced hardware continuing to flood the marketplace, one must notice that it is still in the earlier stages of its development. And as of this writing, I still hope and believe that the previous hardware still has some life left in its ability to stay relevant to the community.
This lack of faith in the older generation of consoles saddens me, as a gamer who has not reached the new generation of gaming just yet feels excluded from the newest incarnations of popular franchises such as Assassin’s Creed. But only time will tell if the other major developers follow the same path as Ubisoft, though may do so with great regret.
