Jade Raymond is focusing on developing more “mature” titles at the newly set up Ubisoft Toronto boss and wants video games in general to “grow up”. She also slams Michael Bay.
When it comes to personalities in the video game industry, it is dominated by men such as Hideo Kojima, Shigeru Miyamoto, Cliff Bleszinski, David Jaffe and many more. However, there is one developer who is bucking that trend and that person is the former
producer of Assassin’s Creed, Jade Raymond.
The head of the newly established studio, Ubisoft Toronto, Raymond is hoping to develop games that aren’t just there for making money but can carry a message as well.
She explained, “I really do feel it’s time for our medium to grow up. I think we don’t need to make the equivalent to a Michael Bay flick in order to sell five million copies.” Michael Bay probably felt that, ouch!
“I think things can be exciting, have meaning and hit important topics, and I’m not the only one that thinks that.”
Raymond also believes that some of the bigger names in the industry are attempting to do that and explained how Assassin’s Creed was also an effort to add more meaning and depth to a video game.
“There are major franchises trying to have more meaning and be something more interesting. We obviously tried a bit – and I hope it was obvious – to make a story with more meaning and mature themes in Assassin’s Creed.”
Sure, the game was about an ancient war between the Assassin Order and the Templars, which may sound a bit far-fetched, yet the way it was presented, in terms of historical context and the morality involved in taking someone’s life is a testament to the
developer’s vision.
As for her plans for the future, well it seems Ubisoft Toronto will be busy trying to redefine the medium that is video games also she admits that “It’s not easy to do that, because it requires breaking our recipe and trying to find new recipes but I think
it’s an important thing for us to strive for.”
Gamers need not be alarmed as she also admitted that her idea did not mean that games wouldn’t have any action, just that the action would have more meaning.
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