Susan Arendt
Culture

Ubisoft: Three New IPs Every Three Years

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz at DICE last week, Ubisoft honcho Jay Cohen said that IPs are the cornerstone of the company’s plans for the future, and that Ubisoft’s target is to do three new IPs every three years. Cohen cites Sega’s loss of the NFL license as Exhibit A in the case of The […]

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In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz at DICE last week, Ubisoft honcho Jay Cohen said that IPs are the cornerstone of the company's plans for the future, and that Ubisoft's target is to do three new IPs every three years. Cohen cites Sega's loss of the NFL license as Exhibit A in the case of The Importance of IPs:

I mean, for example, look at SEGA 2K Sports. They had the NFL
license, and now they don't. Boy, they're kind of screwed. I mean, they're bringing All-Pro Football, and I can't wait. I'm a big fan of their product, I prefer their product over the other, competing football games, for example.

And then they're gone... One day they're here, one day they're gone.
That's a big hole in somebody's business plan. All because the license ran out or the licensor took it back.

Ouch. Of course, Cohen also acknowledges that you never really know just how well a game is going to do; the best you can do is trust your instincts and hope.

Soft Sell [GamesIndustry.biz]