French video game company Ubisoft is looking to incorporate virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) into its games, according to its CEO Yves Guillemot. Ahead of the release of Apple’s mixed reality headset, Vision Pro, next year, Guillemot believes VR is on the horizon and is likely to be the next major disruptor in the industry. He stated that “VR is eventually going to happen” and that “Apple investing massively in the field is fantastic for all of us”. Ubisoft is known for taking chances on new gaming innovations, such as its early partnership with Nintendo on the Wii console in 2006.
While Guillemot sees VR as an opportunity, he also warned that designing games for new platforms “doesn’t always work out perfectly”. But he believes that by supporting new market entrants, Ubisoft is usually well-positioned should that new product or service type succeed, and placing many bets seems to have generally worked out pretty well for the company over the years.
Guillemot praised Ubisoft’s diversification strategy as the company broadens its entertainment offerings and expands into film and TV streaming content. Ubisoft is behind the AppleTV hit Mythic Quest, a comedy series set in a video game studio, and announced that its animated series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix will debut on Netflix later this year. The company aims to make its brands better known and let everyone in the world participate in its creations.
At the Los Angeles event, Ubisoft announced a free-to-play version of its blockbuster Assassin’s Creed franchise, along with a VR version of the game compatible with Meta’s Quest gear. In addition, the company teased a video game spun off the blockbuster Avatar movies as well as a Star Wars Outlaws title made with LucasFilm.
Guillemot also sees generative AI as a “fantastic opportunity” for video games. He believes that games will be more intelligent, and as creators, they have to see how close they can get to what exists in real life. For example, a game might use generative AI to tap into computing power stored in the cloud, giving every character in its universe a spontaneous life of its own. Players could encounter these personalities the same way they might meet a stranger on the street in the real world.
Ubisoft is betting on VR and AI as the future of gaming, with the development of games for the Vision Pro headset and the use of generative AI in its games. The company also aims to expand into film and TV streaming content to make its brands better known. Ubisoft’s diversification strategy is praised for broadening its entertainment offerings. While the success of designing games for new platforms is not always guaranteed, Ubisoft has placed many bets in the past, which has generally worked out well for the company.
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