Rumor: 1,000 Ubisoft Peeps Cranking On Assassin's Creed IV
Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagSome may say Ubisoft is rushing things by bringing out Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag this October.
But if you look at the evidence, it certainly doesn't appear to be a slipshod project. Not only has it been in development for nearly two years (this detail was revealed when the title was originally announced), but it seems a whole lot of people are working on it.
How many? Oh, maybe as many as 1,000. Electronic Arts executive producer Giordano Contestabile Tweeted that Black Flag may represent the "new new AAA."
"Assassin's Creed IV is made by 7 studios and (I hear) nearly 1,000 people. Is this new new AAA?"
For the record, Ubisoft employs around 7,450 globally and about 6,250 are involved in game production in some capacity. So it's not impossible, especially considering that Assassin's Creed is very likely the publisher's most important franchise in terms of sales and overall popularity. But can more than 15% of Ubisoft's entire work force really be focused on Black Flag...? Well, there are eight studios cranking away on it, so why not?
Tags: assassins creed iv black flag, assassins creed 4, aciv black flag, ubisoft
3/14/2013 11:28:37 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (9 posts)
Snaaaake
Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 1:44:23 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 2:18:11 PM
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josiahlo
Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 2:45:53 PM
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Yukian
Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 1:51:37 PM
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Also, it could be the first AC I buy at full price and if it does creep in on the PS4, it could very well be my first game on it... provided that Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes doesn't end up on PS4 too... which I was wondering what happened to that other developer that people thought was Hideo Kojima with a seudonym...?
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WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 2:16:24 PM
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Also we should listen to Descartes, too many people working on a single vision causes disorder in that vision.
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PC_Max
Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 5:29:51 PM
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My impression is the whole dynamic that makes AC what its is or was is drastically changing. Ubisoft with EA's help seems to think the only way for them to survive is to release a game every year. It might be true but that is because they have gotten too big and bloated for their own good and to sustain that... they need to push people to meet this yearly deadline. If they are finishing AC IV then their new philosophy dictates they are already working on AC V and only just scripting AC VI. Ugh.
Well if they can do it and the people that work for them are willing to work within tight deadlines... more power to them.
But they might think about downsizing and focussing more on taking time and coming up with something new and different. Pirates now, but maybe Neanderthals assassinating Mammoth riding Plains man. Or camels.
Keep Playing!
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PHOENIXZERO
Sunday, March 17, 2013 @ 1:22:02 PM
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And yeah, having that many people doesn't mean anything other than sounding very bloated.
Last edited by PHOENIXZERO on 3/17/2013 1:22:47 PM
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DrRockso87
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Thursday, March 14, 2013 @ 11:54:02 AM
I think executives at Ubisoft should take several minutes to read Dan Vávra's blog "How to make Call of Duty Killer for Less". He explains how the size of development teams are bloated and unnecessary and many times result in poor/half-baked ideas being implemented and/or budget being too big for bridges resulting in financial losses.
Just look at Alien: Colonial Marines. Went through several different developers with a few hundred people working on it and was horrible.
Cut the fat, guys!! You don't need 1,000 friggin' people to make a good game!
Last edited by DrRockso87 on 3/14/2013 11:54:51 AM