Power of New IP

Ubisoft's vice president of publishing, Jay Cohen, has told GamesIndustry.biz that the company is planning to focus heavily on new IP as a means to secure its position in the market.

Speaking in an interview conducted at the DICE Summit last week, Cohen described new IP as the "cornerstone" of Ubisoft's strategy, adding, "In fact, I think we're at three new IPs every three years� That's sort of our target."

As Cohen observed, Ubisoft's intellectual property portfolio currently includes Rayman and Red Steel, plus forthcoming title Assassin's Creed. "So every year, you're going to be seeing something that's going to be brought out by Ubisoft.

"If we can keep doing that, they're sustainable, and they're ours. We can take them with us no matter where we go."

Cohen said that companies which rely on licensed properties over new IP can end up with difficult problems to overcome.

"For example, look at SEGA 2K Sports," he offered. "They had the NFL license, and now they don't. Boy, they're kind of screwed... That's a big hole in somebody's business plan. All because the license ran out or the licensor took it back.

"You can't take Rayman away from me, or Red Steel, Assassin's away from us. And we think that's what it's going to take to continue to succeed," Cohen concluded.