Mobile is a challenge for many traditional console publishers, but it's one that they are committed to overcoming; that was the message from Sophie Pendaries, who's the operations and marketing director at Ubisoft Mobile.
Talking about how to make the most of IP at the Mobile Gaming Europe conference in London, she laid out how the French publisher views the opportunities for console-branded mobile games and new IP.
Know your audience
If you're looking to launch new IP in mobile, you need an innovative and differentiated game to attract the audience, she said.
This has only been enabled with the rise of free-to-play games, which enables potential players to try such games without paying.
In contrast, when you're launching mobile games based on existing game IP (such as Rayman), you have to focus on adding to those well understood and loved experiences.
The ways to play
"For us, mobile is part of the global gaming ecosystem," Pendaries explained. "We have moved from a console-centric focus to a user-centric focus - how do they want to play?"
In this way, Ubisoft views its mobile games in two distinct ways.
The first is releasing companion games, which tie into its existing PC and console brands. This is all about the user experience.
It's about the second screen - device shifting, both in terms of simultaneous and complementarity usage, Pendaries said.
This can boil down to 'helper apps', which open up some aspect of a more complex console game, or true cross-platform games such as Ubisoft's Might & Magic: Duel of Companions online card game, which works in exactly the same way across PC and mobile.
Ubisoft is also expecting big things from its new Watch Dogs brand - both on console and mobile.
"Everything is connected. We're creating in-game and out-of-game the same experience," Pendaries said.
Although full details of this connectivity has yet been announced, anyone will be able to play the mobile app, whether they play the console game or not, and all activity will enrich the overall gameplay experience.
New worlds
As for Ubisoft's philosophy in terms of standalone titles - the second part of its view - here the challenge is about 'being faithful to brand values while adapting to the grammar of mobile gaming'.
Yet, what's most important is that mobile is 'an opportunity for us to bring our brands to new audiences'.
"I love the historical nature of the Assassin's Creed world but I can't play the console version. It's too complex," Pendaries explains.
"That's why I'm looking forward to the mobile version of the game [AC: Utopia] we're developing with GREE."
Yet she confessed Ubisoft is only at the start of its process to succeed in mobile gaming.
We have lots of things to learn, she said.
News
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
Apr 27th, 2024
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Week in Views E09 - Supercell's Squad Busters goes global, Embracer Group splits, and Apple's Vision Pro flops
News
Apr 26th, 2024
Week in Views - Squads busted, Apple crushed, War zoned and Snoozin' with the Snorlax…
Feature
Apr 26th, 2024
Speaker Spotlight: Dubai Future Foundation's Faisal Kazim on leading Dubai's gaming charge
Events
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
DevGAMM Vilnius 2024 | Europe | Jun 14th |
Develop: Brighton 2024 | Europe | Jul 9th |
Popular Stories
News
Apr 23rd, 2024
Supercell’s Squad Busters soft launches today with over 100,000 Google Play downloads
News
Apr 23rd, 2024