Q&A: Game Publisher Ubisoft CEO on the Wii U

By Matthew Lynley

The Wii U, Nintendo's first game console in six years, comes out on Sunday. Priced at $300, the console sports a controller that is essentially a tablet, transforming gaming into a two-screen experience.

This isn’t unfamiliar territory, since a lot of people now own iPads and use them while watching television or movies. That, actually, will turn out to be a big benefit for the Wii U, according to Yves Guillemot, CEO of game publisher Ubisoft.

We chatted with Mr. Guillemot to ask him about Ubisoft’s prospects heading into the Wii U launch — and what the company, which has a big lineup of games for the launch, thinks of the new console.

Ubisoft is betting big on the Wii U with games like “ZombiU” and “Just Dance.”

Here’s an edited transcript of the interview:

What do you think about the buzz surrounding the Wii U heading into the launch?

Mr. Guillemot: What we see is there’s a good diversity of games for the machine. We know already that retail stores can’t get as many machines as they would like to because they get lots of pre-orders from everywhere. They can’t cope with the demand. Those are good signs that will make the launch of that console a very positive launch.

On the game side, we have “ZombiU,” “Just Dance” as well as “Assassin’s Creed” that will be there for the launch. We will have a good market share and a good level of quality of the games that we will come with. There are seven games, so it’s a lot of new products for the machine.

Nintendo has traditionally lived on its own content, but the Wii U seems more directed toward third-party publishers. How do you feel about that as a publisher?

Mr. Guillemot: What Nintendo does, they need time to create the best games possible. In working with third parties, it gives them more time to actually polish the games they want to create. They are very committed to producing high-quality games, sometimes it takes more time.

Going into the launch, your company has a pretty good lineup of games. Are you particularly excited about any titles?

Mr. Guillemot: “ZombiU” and “Rayman.” “Rayman” is a game that I think will surprise people. Both games are using a lot of the capacity of the machine. We have also “Rabids,” where you have lots of mini-games taking advantage of all the possibilities of the gamepad. Those three games, specifically, in their genre, are really bringing good usage of the possibility of the machine.

Regarding the Wii U’s possibilities, and the technical performance, as a publisher how do you feel about the power of the console? Do you think the Wii U catches up with the Xbox and PlayStation 3?

Mr. Guillemot: The approach of the game pad is really bringing a big plus with the asymmetric gameplay. We speak a lot about two screens, but it gives the possibility to have cooperative gameplay, to have different types of experiences for different people. In a family or with a group of people, it can be really fantastic to have that. When I play with my kids, they are better than me — if I can use more of my brain than my capacity to react fast in the game, that is a good thing. I believe that’s what Nintendo is bringing, and if it’s well used like we do in “Rayman,” it can be really appreciated by gamers. It’s a completely new way to play.

Graphically can you do things on the Wii U that you can’t do on the Xbox?

Mr. Guillemot: There are new capacities but I couldn’t go technically into details. They have been very happy with the fact that there is lots of memory, and can do more than on other machines.

Does the proliferation of tablets such as the iPad help push the audience to buy a Wii U because of how similar it is?

Mr. Guillemot: I think it will help, yes, the fact that people are understanding touch screens. When you come with a touch screen that can also go on your big screen that’s easy to use. Nintendo did very well with the Wiimotes because it was obvious. Now, because people learned the iPad, they will also very quickly understand what to do with the Wii U.

So, I have to ask: Playing Nintendo games all my life, a question that keeps me up is, why isn’t Pokemon on my iPhone? It’s a game I would pay a lot of money to have on my iPhone. Do you see a rationale for Nintendo to keep that on the Wii U and not proliferate it out?

Mr. Guillemot: I understand why they do it. All the people that are crazy about Pokemon, they will buy the hardware that is adapted to it. It will help them to have a platform that is a place where they can have their games and where you will follow the rules of that platform. It enables them to have a good ecosystem that works for their brands and allows them to spend more money to create the best quality they can. I think it’s a good approach knowing their brands are so big they can make you go and buy the system.

And that helps your company?

Mr. Guillemot: It helps the whole industry.