Okay, Ubisoft. We Need To Talk.

Summary

The video discusses Ubisoft's current challenges in the gaming industry, highlighting the controversy surrounding 'Assassin's Creed Shadows'. It criticizes Ubisoft's management, the ineffectiveness of diversity consultants, and the company's hiring practices. The speaker urges the gaming industry to prioritize competent and passionate game development, and to avoid the pitfalls of incompetence and poor representation.

Takeaways

• 🚫 Ubisoft has cancelled its participation in the Tokyo Game Show and stopped distribution of press preview copies of Assassin's Creed Shadows.
• 🗑️ The game's merchandise featuring a destroyed Torri Gate caused controversy due to its association with the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
• 👎 Criticism is directed at diversity consultants and history experts for failing to prevent cultural insensitivity in the game's design.
• 📉 The video suggests that Ubisoft's management and development practices are flawed, leading to a lack of competent products.
• 💸 The use of diversity consultants is criticized for adding unnecessary cost without providing value to the game's development.
• 🔍 The video highlights the failure of diversity initiatives in accurately representing cultural topics and values.
• 👥 The speaker criticizes the hiring practices of Ubisoft and similar companies for excluding certain groups and promoting extremism.
• 📉 Ubisoft's stock value is falling, and the company is accused of using bots to create a false sense of positivity.
• 💪 The video encourages game developers to focus on creating quality games and assures them of support from the gaming community.
• ✋ A call to action for gamers to be mindful of 'friendly fire' and to differentiate between the problems of incompetence and the diversity of the gaming community.

Q & A

Why did Ubisoft cancel its participation in the Tokyo Game Show?

Ubisoft canceled its participation in the Tokyo Game Show due to the controversy surrounding the Assassin's Creed Shadows game, which included the depiction of a destroyed Torri Gate, evoking memories of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki during World War II.

What was the issue with the press preview copies of Assassin's Creed Shadows?

Ubisoft reportedly canceled the distribution of press preview copies of Assassin's Creed Shadows, possibly due to the negative backlash and controversy the game was facing.

What cultural insensitivity is highlighted in the script regarding Assassin's Creed Shadows?

The script points out the cultural insensitivity in the game's depiction of a destroyed Torri Gate, which is associated with the tragic history of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki, Japan.

What role did diversity consultants play in the development of Assassin's Creed Shadows, according to the script?

The script criticizes the role of diversity consultants, suggesting that they failed to provide value to the game and contributed to a product that was culturally insensitive and offensive to the Japanese people.

What are the three lessons the script suggests the gaming industry should learn from Ubisoft's situation?

The script suggests three lessons: 1) The need for better management in brand development and marketing, 2) The failure of diversity consultants to add value to the game, and 3) The issue with hiring practices that exclude certain groups and favor others without regard to competence.

How does the script describe the management of Ubisoft?

The script describes the management of Ubisoft as lacking vision and ability, which is indicative of a broader issue in the entertainment industry where insufficient management is sabotaging commercial viability.

What is the script's view on the effectiveness of diversity consultants in the gaming industry?

The script views diversity consultants as ineffective, having failed to contribute positively to the game's development and instead causing harm to the cultural landscape.

What criticism does the script level at development teams composed of diverse individuals?

The script criticizes such teams for failing to meet basic competence levels and for producing products that are not only functionally inadequate but also disrespectful to their customers.

How does the script characterize the individuals hired through mentorship programs and specific hiring practices at Ubisoft?

The script characterizes these individuals as radicalized extremists who are self-absorbed and incapable of accepting criticism or improving, leading to products that are detrimental to the company and the industry.

What is the script's stance on the role of diversity in the gaming industry?

The script argues that the problem is not with diversity itself, but with incompetent individuals who lack life experience and understanding of the real world, and who are given roles they are ill-suited for.

What advice does the script offer to fellow game developers and publishers?

The script advises game developers and publishers to focus on producing good games they are passionate about, reassuring them that gamers will support quality work despite threats from diversity consultants.