Ubisoft and the Forum Loudmouths
Why the biggest criticisms come outside of the biggest gobs
Ubisoft Toronto boss, Jade Raymond, has been selling Splinter Cell: Blacklist by giving interviews about how it's all post-9/11 and too intelligent. She's also made a fascinating comment regarding game research.
Basically, the kind of people who complain (or criticise quickly and loudly) in forums are not the most constructive people producing the most constructive data. She has a great story about the development of Assassin's Creed.
"There was one mission everyone was playing," she told Eurogamer. "We got the data back and it was like, 'You guys need to make more of these missions because there was something about this mission that was great.' You look at it and it's like, 'That's because that was the only side mission you had to do.' It wasn't because it was magically better. It was the one you had to play in the game."
She points out, "You have to interpret the data. After shipping Conviction, there were a lot of people who said the fans didn't like Mark and Execute. But when we looked at our broader feedback - we do surveys through Uplay and get thousands and thousands of players - the people who rated those new features the highest were actually players who played at least two games in the series before. So in fact it was the opposite of what the data was telling us.
Basically, the kind of people who complain (or criticise quickly and loudly) in forums are not the most constructive people producing the most constructive data. She has a great story about the development of Assassin's Creed.
"There was one mission everyone was playing," she told Eurogamer. "We got the data back and it was like, 'You guys need to make more of these missions because there was something about this mission that was great.' You look at it and it's like, 'That's because that was the only side mission you had to do.' It wasn't because it was magically better. It was the one you had to play in the game."
She points out, "You have to interpret the data. After shipping Conviction, there were a lot of people who said the fans didn't like Mark and Execute. But when we looked at our broader feedback - we do surveys through Uplay and get thousands and thousands of players - the people who rated those new features the highest were actually players who played at least two games in the series before. So in fact it was the opposite of what the data was telling us.
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Comments
ergo 24 Apr 2013 13:48
1/2
<i>Basically, the kind of people who complain (or criticise quickly and loudly) in forums are not the most constructive people producing the most constructive data. She has a great story about the development of Assassin's Creed.</i>
Yes, Spong, wrap yourself up tight in that Criticism-Proof Shield +3 to Denial & Aversion to Reality--self-serving doesn't even begin to describe this quote...
(In other words, sometimes forum posters are right, sometimes they are wrong, and your comment is just as ridiculous as Raymond cherry-picking <b>only those items that redound to her advantage, while ignoring the rest<i.>, i.e. time-honored PR nonsense which, of course, you are right there to lap up with a completely credulous tongue.)
Yes, Spong, wrap yourself up tight in that Criticism-Proof Shield +3 to Denial & Aversion to Reality--self-serving doesn't even begin to describe this quote...
(In other words, sometimes forum posters are right, sometimes they are wrong, and your comment is just as ridiculous as Raymond cherry-picking <b>only those items that redound to her advantage, while ignoring the rest<i.>, i.e. time-honored PR nonsense which, of course, you are right there to lap up with a completely credulous tongue.)
config 24 Apr 2013 17:05
2/2
@ergo I think someone's had an ironyectomy?