If you feel that most Ubisoft games share similar features, you’re probably right. Julian Gerighty, a creative director at Ubisoft, revealed that all Ubisoft games have to pass through a central editorial department.
"All of the editorial policies looking forward are set by Paris, but it's up to the individual teams to go in their own direction," he said.
So, what does the editorial department has in mind regarding the company’s new titles? "The editorial department and Serge [Hascoet, Ubisoft chief creative officer] is shepherding the creation of [new games], and open world is something that he absolutely passionate about."
Gerighty asserted that the push towards always-connected game worlds is not motivated by the desire to combat used games sales or piracy. "It's this combination of freedom and adapting to the way people play a game," he explained. "It's the tailored experience for people and the mesh of both is something that's truly going to be remarkable and surprising for people playing games. With it a whole new generation is born."
Gerighty believes that most games will feature persistent always-connected worlds. "This is an issue today, three years down the line it's not going to be an issue, or much less of an issue," he said. "Today it's risk taking, in three years’ time it's going to be a standard feature."