As is common, Ubisoft is one of the first major publishers to jump head first into the brave new world of streaming, partnering with Google for its new Stadia tech.
Speaking to VentureBeat, the French firm's CEO Yves Guillemot said that the search and software giant's tech showed Ubisoft that this new-again way of playing games is likely going to be huge.
“What we saw [with Stadia] is that streaming is going to [be big],” Guillemot said.
”It will be available for free if you play on a low resolution. [It’s revolutionary, it’s going to give access to everyone and with the ability to play on a tablet]. That will put pressure on the industry, with a new model that can help the industry grow tremendously. Microsoft will almost certainly answer Sony. Sony announced they will come with a machine next year, and Microsoft is certainly going to say something in response.”
He continued: “These two events are huge. They give us a chance for us to have our triple-A games on mobile devices. Those are the big trends that are going to change the industry.”
Of course, Ubisoft is no stranger to being early on new platforms and technologies. The French firm has launched early on most new platforms over the years, from the original PlayStation to VR and now, Stadia, in addition in investing in blockchain and Ai research along the way.
“In fact, each time you have a disruption, you can be more creative," Guillemot said.
"People are open to new technologies, and so you can try new things. That is very rewarding for the team. And we have to go fast because we have to be the first,” Guillemot said. “That is very rewarding for the team. And we have to go fast because we have to be the first.”
Ubisoft partnered with Google for its Project Stream beta test in October 2018, with its recently-released Assassin's Creed Odyssey playable via a Chrome browser.
The French firm is also bringing the recently-announced Ghost Recon Wildlands: Breakpoint to the streaming platform later this year, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the leaked Watch Dogs Legion coming to Stadia, too.
Google Stadia was announced at GDC 2019, with the search giant talking up some impressive tech but being light on important details. The firm gave us some more concrete details last week ahead of E3 2019.
