Watch_Dogs may have taken its sweet time getting to market but publisher Ubisoft is confident that the game will be a resounding commercial success — and that it will challenge the traditional big-sellers this year.
Speaking to MCV, Ubisoft's Wayne Greenwell said:
Excitement for the product remains incredibly high and gamers are desperate to finally get their hands on the title. This is reflected in our pre-orders which are hugely promising for a new IP and highlights the enthusiasm that has surrounded the product since it was first unveiled to the world.
With Watch Dogs, Ubisoft is building a new blockbuster brand to stand alongside other top tier triple-A titles and we expect it to be not only one of the best selling new IPs in recent memory, but also one of the best selling titles throughout 2014.
Watch_Dogs was supposed to launch before Christmas, but was delayed to ensure that the developers had time to make it as polished as possible. It arrives on the majority of systems next month, but the Wii U version has been delayed until "Fall". Producer Dominic Guay has insisted that the Nintendo edition will be worth the wait, and that it will make "good use" of the GamePad controller.
Do you think that Watch_Dogs has what it takes to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and FIFA? Or do you think the delay will hurt the game's chances, given the incredible amount of exposure it has had since it was announced? Also, will you wait for the Wii U version or buy it on another format? Share your opinion by posting a comment.
[source mcvuk.com]
Comments 72
It won't happen. I expect too many gamers will be like me, growing more disinterested after being hyped, and believing all the delays indicated problems with a mediocre game. We may be wrong, but it will still hurt sales.
I think the hype and the sales will create a monster seller,but I honestly think it will go down in history as overated. For the 1st instalment at least. As for the wiiu ver. I like many others will be buying the ps4 version. Unfortunately unlike many others however,i will double dip if the game is good enough. I dont think many will do the same
I think It will stand to COD, GTA and FIFA.
It's an hag all the delays but I'm still buying it and I will most definitely wait for the WiiU version.
Hope it really worth waiting like they say !!!
I think the emphasis needs to be placed on the phrase "one of" that he uses twice in reference to AA tier titles. W_D could easily be one of the top 5 games this year - most likely 5 - after COD, Madden, AC and Destiny.
He also says one of the best selling "new IPs" in recent memory. Considering how poorly Wonderfull 101 and Puppeteer sold I don't think he's really shooting all that high. It's all mindless corporate bluster. They'll never catch Last of Us though.
@rjejr Replace Madden with Fifa and you're are probably right.
Too bad that we know that this game won't sell well on Wii U because its multiplat. But if it does mean that the Wii U version is the definitive version of the game, that would be awesome as some of the multiplat games that were also on Wii U were best on the Wii U.
I feel like with all the delays and lackluster trailers a lot of the hype they had at e3 2012 kinda died down. I'm sure it'll sell well, though not as well as it could have if they'd released this a while back. Also they might as well just cancel the wiiu version.
one of the biggest not the biggest... smash will take that title
@Artwark i agree look at splintercell black list wow on the wii u version was so much better than any other console version was amazing with the gamepad integration. hopefully this game has the same with the gamepad functions for cameras loadouts map etc.
Has the hype already been killed off to make that claim?
I'll be waiting for the Wii U version, if it ever shows up. If not then I'm not that excited I would buy it for another system.
"and gamers are desperate to finally get their hands on the title."
Maybe it is just me, but I found that a bit insulting.
I hope if the Wii U version is done well and that the game gets tremendous support from the Nintendo community, because if not we have to say good bye to third parties.
@rjejr Watch_Dogs compared to Puppeteer????????
Of course it will be! It's delayed for a long time and now delayed once more for the Wii U! After all this anticipation it must be One of the biggest selling games! If not Ubisoft has disappointed us once again!
Haven't they already spent $150M on this? Surely they're in deep doodoo if it doesn't sell millions on each system! I'm waiting for the Wii U version if it's good but I get the feeling it won't happen if the others flop.
Well.... we're gonna find out....
@Marshi add me to one of those few that will buy Watch_Dogs on PS4 and double dip for the Wii U version!
@Jazzer94 - "Replace Madden with Fifa"
While my brain agrees w/ you, my USA heart wouldn't let me type that
I'll wait for the Wii U version. I understand concerns about the Wii U version's delay situation, and how it will most likely result in poor sales, but I don't care about that. I'll buy it when it's released and enjoy it. It's all us Wii U supporters can really do. At least we're getting the game in the first place, and with unique GamePad features, too.
Planned on getting it for the Wii U day one, and even though that delay for Wii U dismotivated me, I will probably get it if the Wii U version reviews on par or hopefully better than the other versions.
@memoryman3 - "Watch_Dogs compared to Puppeteer????????"
When I read "new IP" that, W101 and LoU were what popped into my head. So that's 2 out of 3 that bombed. So his saying that W_D will be among the better selling "new ip", well what else was I suppose to compare it to? I don't think Beyond 2 Souls did very well either. There just aren't all that many new IP, it's all sequels (MGS, GTA, COD) and reboots (Tomb Raider and DmC).
And in case you are wondering why I didnt mention a lot of Nitnedo game sit's b/c I don't tthink of them in regards to big AAA games as Wii Uis lackin gin multiplats. W_D will probably outsell MK8 this year, and I don't see SSB until 2015 on Wii U.
I wonder if SSB on 3DS can make that one of the biggest selling games of the year?
They must haven't seen the game Destiny pre-order numbers. Plus MK8 is coming soon. Smash Bros is gonna hit the 3DS first.
Well they did say one of the best selling titles, not the best selling title.
@rjejr I can understand I'm more of an MLB: The Show kind of guy myself.
It definitely will be, just not on the WiiU.
I think that Destiny is going to walk all over the sales of this game. Bungie/Activision/Blizzard. Halo was a big name and I think Destiny is going to be the next big selling franchise. Smash on the 3DS will no doubt sell more than any other game (besides CoD and GTA). But Watch Dogs won't be the seller that Assassin's Creed is, not for its first iteration.
Main problem for me would be that if I did wait for the Wii U one then by the time it is eventually released the game will already be old...and having multiple systems I could likely get it for less than half the price of the Wii U version...
A delayed new IP? I hope it will succeed but I don't think it will get anywhere near the big sellers. We don't even know if it's good yet. It could be mediocre and sell ok but not great.
Who cares if it outsells another game so long as it is good! I can't wait for this title to come to the Wii U, I think the Gamepad will make this game even better!
Can't wait to see how they react after they release it on Wii U. >.>
If it's good I'll buy it but not because it's all cool and hype hype.
10,000 sales on Wii U.... sigh
Like Project CARS, I COULD get the PC version and get a much better visual experience (perhaps one that runs better as well), but I'll wait for the Wii U version for both games in order to pay my respects...
They won't get a purchase from this guy.
No gameplay in that video just scenes, of stuff I don't care about. What happened to the days of companies releasing gameplay videos instead of cut scenes?
I'm still keen......Wii u only in my house so no choice on format!! I am still very worried we''ll just get another shoddy port though. Other than ac3/4,need for speed and deus ex, what multiplatform games have we got that were 100%, never mind including unique features???
Biggest selling title of 2014? I believe that honor belongs to Mario Kart 8 and Smash Bros. For 3DS and Wii U
Or at least I hope so... :/
@DiscoGentleman whos your friend id like to give him/her a listnen
We all know how this is going to go down for WiiU. It'll finally release winter 2014 / early 2015 for WiiU at full $60 retail price, no DLC available at all .... while all other consoles get WDs GOTY edition for $20 all DLC uncluded for free.
@hcfwesker Exactly. Developers blame bad sales, but they are the ones causing the bad sales with no games for the Wii U.
@GamerOZO Yup, what is there to buy to even generate these sales ? Games people already got for years ? Ports with lack of support (further DLCs, patches etc) ?
It always baffles how high the horses are, these developers are sitting on. If this trend keeps on going, predicted sales figures will keep on going higher and higher to the point that every human on earth must buy a game twice to reach the expected sales threshold...
@Topic
It will be the best selling game in the whole omniverse and beyond yawn
Seriously, i dont thinks its a smart move to hype a game to such extend. You are just creating expectations that are quite difficult to match.
And the internet people especially are keen on bashing hyped games that couldnt live up to the hype 100%. Either this will be the best game ever created or get squashed by the sheer amoun pre-hype that was build up beforehand.
Well let's see on consoles alone no not happening. As of right now you're looking at around 15 or so million from the big 3. That means every single person that owns next gen will have to buy it. GTA5 sold what 18 million at the snap of a finger. You are limiting yourself by not bringing it to ps360!
It's a new IP so it just won't sell as well as COD or Assassin's Creed by virtue of that fact alone. I also don't think it will be as good as people are hoping so that's likely to limit sales as well, although it's not really my kind of game so I'm not interested myself.
Mario Kart Wii has outsold GTA V.
Looking at this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games
I think there is no way they will sell 15,000,000 copies of this to get onto the main list.
I think it will sell well, and I intend to get it. Realistic games taking place in the modern real world aren't my favorite, but Ubisoft has shown enough interesting features that I'll bite.
@unrandomsam "Mario Kart Wii has outsold GTA V" ... As good of news as that may seem MK Wii was released 5 years before GTA5, and will most likely surpass it once GTA5 releases the 40 different versions it will come out with.
wow ubisoft actually believes that watch dogs will be one of the biggest selling games of 2014. Do they know what mario kart 8 or smash bros is? and if watch dogs does not sell like what they hoped the wiiu version will be cancelled and i feel there not going to even try on the wiiu version. There just going to make the map on the game pad and with no DLC.
@unrandomsam To be blunt, that's really meaningless given Mario Kart Wii has been on the market for a far long period of time that GTA V. Let's compare the numbers in another few years when GTA V has had a chance to come out with its special editions(if they do like what happened to GTA IV)
Its a hollow victory when you think about it. Plus, GTA V will have more of a chance to catch up and surpass Mario Kart Wii's sales. The PS3 will be around for another few years, while the Wii is pretty much on life-support.
Now Tetris shocks me. Looks like nothing will ever knock that game off its throne.
I've only seen cg videos is the game actually fun to play?
This game will highly disappoint ubsisoft on the wii u. Low install base + delayed launch = low sales. If it gets good reviews, I'll grab it for wii u, but this just reads like a sales pitch and nothing else.
@Nintenjoe64 $150 million! That's a lot, because I remember reading a while back that GTA V had Rockstar spend $176 million (for game development, advertising, everything). If Ubisoft is spending nearly as much money on Watch Dogs as Rockstar did on GTA V, they must really be expecting it to sell like hotcakes.
As others have said this will end up being ubi-fodder for dropping wiiu support. Do they really expect it to sell well on wiiu MONTHS after everyone else gets it for other systems?
I've said many times I fully expect the wiiu version to be cancelled, which is a shame as I'd want it on wiiu over any other system
It's a no buy for me...well, until ubi 'at least' patches in TAGES and an always- online requirement.
Aww, Ubisoft has a Duke Nukem Forever on their hands.
Says the fanboy who is still waiting for trickles of news about Beyond Good and Evil 2...
Spare us the hype!
Oh my god, I'm tired of hearing about this game and by now it just looks like an overhyped generic modern day Assassin's creed style game.
With all the hype and all the delays, this game will either have to be simply amazing, or Ubisoft will have to pay off most of the gaming media to push this thing...gamers are losing interest and highly skeptical.
@AJSjedi - I don't think Ubisoft will ever "officially" drop support for the Wii U and burn all bridges.
Not while Just Dance and Rayman games continue to sell respectably on Nintendo platforms. I have a feeling "Child of Light" will do pretty well on Wii U also since it's got a smaller development cost on an existing engine. They won't have to sell five million to see profits.
@Action51
Yeah that's true I forgot about just dance, although I have never liked those games or understood how they became so popular. I am not an xbox guy but I have always preferred dance central games to just dance when I get in the mood to shake my groove thang LOL. In all seriousness, I will play dance central with my wife and her friends, but I never play just dance.
As far as rayman, hopefully they keep supporting wiiu with those, they are always similar but always very awesome platformers.
Just curious, what are your thoughts on watch dogs wiiu? Think it will be cancelled?
Low install base is not really a problem, see multiplats mostly better sold on vita than 3ds
And wii u exclusive 1st party easily defeat most of micorosoft and sony 1st party exclusive. Its just a matter of preference of each console gamers
It will sell, but it won't sell what it could have had the delay not happened. I also think it will get mostly average reviews which will not help.
I think the sales will be downgraded , just like the PS4's version's graphics
@Kodeen Last I heard they scrapped those versions in favor of the next gen. I could be wrong but everyone was worried about the U version when that happened.
@AJSjedi - "Just curious, what are your thoughts on watch dogs wiiu? Think it will be cancelled?"
I think Ubisoft will string Wii U owners along with promises until they finally determine whether it will be economically viable and then release it or cancel it based on that.
Ubisoft is like that "friend" you had in school who would hang around only as long as you had food and beer. It gets pretty annoying quickly.
I was all ready to buy this before Christmas. Then slowly got disinterested with it the further it got delayed. Pushing solely the Wii U version further back just hurts the Wii U even more.
Not impressed Ubisoft
I'm more excited for Mario Golf, Tengami and Nintendo's E3 presentation. It's this years E3 that will determine if Wii U is still a viable format by June next year
I was excited for this, and even had it preordered for the November release. Now, with the extra delay for the wii u version, I might pick it up second hand, but it will have to be something very special.
Won't happen B/C no Wii U version and the game got delayed.
Everybody and their grandma wanted the Wii U version after all...
If this is walk like a truck awesomeness I won't buy it. But if it's great, yeah sure, why not.
And the delay is more about mario kart than anything else.
@Guitardude7 Not THE best selling game, but one of.
I honestly don't care if Watch Dogs is one of the best selling games or not. Doesn't really concern me but I know I'll be picking it up. Seems like an interesting game for sure.
Probably. Looks gorgeous.
Maybe Xbox 360. If not, definetly Wii U or Xbox One.
@Captain_Toad Wow....people really ARE putting HYRULE WARRIOR over Watch_Dogs. What is this was a new gritty Mario title with hacking? It would be over 2 million ya?
@Guitardude7 This game will sell more than Smash guaranteed...
@erv Really, Wii U's problem is that first party cannabilizes third party, and this being delayed indefinitely will kill salads.....
@Action51 Plus FAR CRY 4 NOT COMING TO THE WII U OR COMING TO THE WII U LATE!
@memoryman3 I'm saying that since they delayed they game after gta5 showed up (most people got their "watch_dog" fix from that already) and we haven't heard much of this game since this announcement. Watch_dogs may not be selling as much as ubisoft is hoping for or even close. I looking to be surprised though
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