Ben Mattes is the Producer at Ubisoft working on Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery
With the release of Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery impending we caught up with Ben Mattes, the games Producer, to find out why the game was delayed, what he thinks of the current pricing models of the App Store and why this instalment of Assassin's Creed is coming from Ubisoft instead of Gameloft.
The game recently appeared on the App Store for a brief stint before being pulled. I understand this was a mistake but what happened? Did someone get overly excited and hit the publish button a little prematurely?
The game accidentally launched on the App Store last week. We decided to pull it because we were concerned that it was an early build of the game that may have contained bugs, we did not want consumers purchasing a flawed product at the wrong price. We do not have any further details to disclose about that.
Assassins Creed II: Discovery looks to be a port of the DS version of the game? Have any changes or enhancements been made to take advantage of the hardware?
Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery is a port of the DS version, however we wanted to take our time with the development to ensure we’re delivering the same quality experience that consumers expect from the franchise. The iPhone version delivers a fast-paced, arcade-style experience. It focuses on stealth moves and free-running/acrobatics, which are inspired by the console chase sequences. We also added a new combat system in the iPhone version – the struggle mechanic, which offers more diversity in combat (for instance some gourds are harder to kill than others). There are also 3 new levels, upscaled high-res graphics, enhanced sounds, voice acting and more music from the console game (all due to the platform’s optimized hardware capabilities).
In your opinion how does the iPhone stack up against the DS and PSP in terms of offering that core gaming experience?
Just as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP delivers its own unique gaming experience, so does the iPhone. I’m a fan of each platform for separate reasons and understand how they all fit into Ubisoft’s strategy to diversify its portfolio of entertainment.
The lack of physical buttons is certainly the most common complaint levelled at the iPhone by sceptical ‘hardcore gamers’. Do you agree that the lack of buttons is debilitating for the platform?
Development of the iPhone Controls was an evolutionary process. We researched our options (accelerometer, virtual analog stick, etc.) and were conscientious that players’ thumbs may cover too much of the action on screen. Therefore, we decided that since this is such a fast-paced game, Ezio could function well if we used a left/right slide controls for movement and attack/block buttons with special combat buttons that appear as needed to create a fluid experience.
The most recent Assassins Creed game on the PSP, Bloodlines, was a fully 3D sandbox style game. Do you believe taking it back to a simplified 2D platforming experience is the optimal way to bring Assassins Creed to portable devices?
We looked closely at the opportunities and limitation of the iPhone platform and recognized the situation folks are in when they are playing iPhone games. They’re usually on the go. Therefore we decided to create a fast-paced, adrenaline rush with a 2.5 dimension side scrolling, platformer to translate the core experience of Assassin’s Creed II for this audience. The beauty of this franchise is that players can integrate with the Assassin’s Creed universe in a variety of ways.
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