Ubisoft’s UK marketing head Murray Pannell has stated his belief that Assassin’s Creed will eventually grow to become as big as Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto franchise, though conceded it isn’t quite there yet.
"To be honest, I’m not sure we’re there yet," said Pannell, during an interview with Eurogamer. "But I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t get there at some point in the not-too-distant future. That’s about longevity and building decent products, properly marketed, and getting the name out there.”
Pannell observed that Assassin’s Creed II established the brand as one of the famed triple-A blockbuster series of titles, though reckons the franchise isn’t quite up to the level of Halo or GTA just yet.
"I believe with the success of Assassin’s 2 we have now got an opportunity to position ourselves as one of the true triple-A blockbusters. Are we as big as things like GTA and Halo and things of that nature? Possibly not at this point. But I think we are uniquely poised now as a property, as a franchise, to certainly consider ourselves one of the must-have games whenever a game launches on Assassin’s Creed in the franchise."
"It’s fair to say Assassin’s 1 promised a lot and slightly under-delivered in terms of gameplay. Assassin’s 2 promised even more and actually this time delivered on it. And I believe quality of the game will be a fundamental part of positioning ourselves in that blockbuster franchise space.”
The next game in the series, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is due out in November and will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign that kicks off this summer. As Pannell notes, this strategy remains a vital component in cementing the game on consumers’ minds as a major software player for the upcoming holiday season.
"As marketing director, it’s part of our role and responsibility to position it from a consumer point of view as one of those big blockbusters through decent marketing campaigns. One thing we’ve been doing already is advertising Assassin’s: Brotherhood on TV this summer, three or four months before launch. That only helps position it in consumers’ minds as, ‘This is a big game I need to consider as one of the true blockbuster franchises’."
He also expects Brotherhood to generate more sales than its predecessor, adding, "In terms of expectations, people should certainly see this as a full price product with as much depth of gameplay if not more than the version we brought out a year ago. We’re certainly positioning it that way. We’re investing in the product in that way. And in terms of our expectations from a sales point of view, we’d see it doing at least as well as Assassin’s 2, if not, ideally, better."