In a new article lauding what it calls Ubisoft's "ascent" as it contends for third place (behind Electronic Arts and Activision) in the industry, Forbes heard from Ubi's North American president, Laurent Detoc, on its strategy for spacing the Prince of Persia games.
As the article points out, Ubi's first franchise re-up happened in 2003, followed by two more titles back-to-back. And then three years of radio silence. Why?
The last two titles sold well, but didn't match the sales of the first game. So Ubisoft decided to pull back production and launch its next "Prince of Persia" this winter, in hopes of creating demand for it. "As we get bigger, we can give it more breathing room," Detoc says.
The publisher's doing well enough now financially, the article explains, that it doesn't have to rush out franchise follow-ups and can afford to cool its heels a bit in between to spur demand. Detoc also told Forbes that they can afford to whet your appetite for the next Assassin's Creed by making you wait:
"When we bring it back, there will be more anticipation for it," Detoc says.
Europe's Top Gamer [Forbes]