Ubisoft to no longer pursue FPS game titles...

[goldorak]

Originally Posted by peterloo

Agreed. The market now is full of FPS and RTS titles that the game play is soooo boring.

They need something new. Improving graphics is just futile. Physics engines or other stuff improves nothing but make the game resource heavy

They need to create more stuff. Leave the WWII frame please. There is already many games which is set on WWII, on every major sides. Only by releasing new creative titles can they earn money.

The point is that Ubisoft won't improve anything, they will toss aside the hardcore games and concentrate on wii like games such as cooking mama, nintendogs, etc...
Now tell me how is that pushing the envelope in ai, interactive envirnments, co-op play etc... ?
If Ubisoft ditches the SH series for being too hardcore (and you can bet that simulations are hardcore enough not only for pc but also not in the least portable to consoles) no major publisher is going to carry on the torch.
No major simulations and that means no WWI,WWII, Cold War, Fictional Scenarios etc...

[peterloo]

You get another point ~ their lack of improvement means they can't beat other game producers. But I think the main issue is over-saturation

In the past few months, there is several good games like World in Conflict. A single player can't play them all, so they just choose some to play

So, the over-saturation problem emerges.

In this situation, only good games survive, and bad games good bye. Ubisoft, unfortunately, doesn't improve, as what you said. So, they lose money and invests less in the next FPS / RTS game. The lack of investment results in lack of quality, and the vicious cycle repeats, and eventually, ...

[peterloo]

well, none of my friends play simulation games. I thinks its because online MMORPGs and other creative "new" games has taken over it.

In the past subsim used to be very popular, but now, uh, I think Ubisoft is losing money in the Silent Hunter series these days.

People have different taste these days, I think this contributes to a part of the decline of simulation games

Small companies are better in producing good games, is probably they are more agile in decision making and their fundermental thinking. As a result, innovation makes their product superior

For example, Face of War and Company of Heroes are 2 World War II RTS games released around September 2006. Face of War, despite produced by Ubisoft, lost to Company of Heroes in terms of total sales and reputation. Why? because company of heroes = better thinking!
Face of War is composed of multiple ridiculous missions (for example, giving you a squad of soldiers and ask you to defeat a company of soldiers with superior tanks) Also, their micro-management of ammo of squad member = troublesome
Company of Heroes fared better. They allow infinite ammo for each side, and their special ability is gathered, not by provision, but by the amount of land that country occuplies. Since this type of resource gathering system is better, along with realistic mission, the sale is of course, more