Ubisoft: 3D Market To Be Limited In First Year

Although 3D is one key way to differentiate high-end AAA gaming experiences, Ubisoft is approaching the emerging arena with caution, predicting sales will be limited in the first year when prices for the capable televisions are so high. "I think we will see lots of bundles with 3D monitors... and they will be small sales in stores -- in game stores," says CEO Yves Guillemot, speaking today on the company's call to investors alongside Ubisoft's first quarter results. "But it will be very strong next year, at the end of next year, which means... November, December next year will normally be the time when we will start to see very good sales on those products." So the company is developing just a few 3D games for the current year -- but "the goal is to make sure most of our high end games will use the 3D," Guillemot adds. One of the company's in-development titles slated to be 3D-ready is upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, and on the call CFO Alain Martinez suggested that 3D capability will be an ideal way to make the title stand out in the "very crowded" FPS market. "Ghost Recon is already 3D to make it a bit special," he says, noting that the immersive realism of 3D will help enhance what he sees as another competitive factor: the new technology and gadgets the game's future soldier uses. "We really believe they can bring some additional gameplay," he says. "When I was at E3, I felt like some of the things we were doing in Ghost Recon were very different from the look and feel that you can get from Medal of Honor or other games," continues Martinez. "Ghost Recon... in the U.S. it's the number four brand, so it's very, very strong. People enjoyed the multiplayer a lot, and we believe that we will have good multiplayer, so then we will see."