Ubisoft works a franchise until it needs a break, says CEO

Ubisoft works on a franchise until it needs a break, identified when the company can't "improve enough or bring something that fans haven't seen before," according to an interview with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot on the company's official blog.

"We have a strategy in place for each brand," Guillemot said. "Our goal is to work on each franchise until we see that it needs a break, and then down the line we'll bring it back with a team that can make it shine once again. The power of our brands lies in the power of the people who work on them.

"So when we get to a point where we don't think we can improve enough or bring something that fans haven't seen before, we prefer to wait until we can identify a breakthrough - a fresh new angle that allows us to reinvigorate the franchise," he said. "So a lot of the time it's about waiting for the right moment and the right team."

Ubisoft aims to release the sixth major installment of its Assassin's Creed franchise, pirate-centric Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, on Oct. 29 in North America for PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360, as well as on next-generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms at unannounced dates.

According to Guillemot, the key element of a game's success is its ability to allow players to send challenges and interact with friends, as most consumers want to have the access to play with friends, even if they are not in front of a TV or if their friend isn't online.

Ubisoft's aim for the future is to delve more into online open-world RPGs, he said when asked if Ubisoft have the capacity to create a new gaming genre, and that Ubisoft Massive — developers of upcoming massively multiplayer RPG Tom Clancy's The Division — will help the company "make a mark in this space."