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Ubisoft Predicts Next-Gen Install Base To Be Twice The Size Of Current Generation

In an interview with GamesIndustry International, Tony Key, Ubisoft’s sales and marketing vice president, predicted that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will have an install base twice the size of their immediate predecessors

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In an interview with GamesIndustry International, Tony Key, Ubisoft’s sales and marketing vice president, predicted that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will have an install base twice the size of their immediate predecessors. According to Key, this is largely due to the extended console cycle of the current generation, which has spanned eight years and subsequently created a significant, pent-up demand.

Here’s what Key had to say regarding the topic:

“Our feeling is the installed base of these machines will be much faster to take hold than previous generations. In the first couple of years, we expect double the installed based of previous generations. … The reason why is: the last cycle was longer, so there’s a lot of pent-up demand.”

Effectively, this forecast would see the next-gen hardware surpass the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii within a like-for-like time period, which have achieved 280 million sales cumulatively to date. This rippling effect is already beginning to take shape, with Sony recording one million PlayStation 4 sales within the console’s first 24 hours on the market (a statistic that undermines claims of the console market teetering towards extinction).

In terms of other analysts, EA expects the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to reach 10 million sales by the end of the fiscal year; i.e. March 31st, 2014. Although it seems like a lofty prediction at present, it’s worth noting that Sony’s console will be available in Europe and Japan at that stage; mind you, Microsoft has remained vague on the specifics for the Xbox One’s Japanese release.

Elsewhere in the interview, Key also touched upon Ubisoft’s decision to delay Watch Dogs until 2014 whilst highlighting the property’s innate franchise potential.

“It’s heartbreaking to be so coveted for launch and not be able to deliver it at launch, but from a business perspective, it’s not a difficult decision to make. Watch Dogs is designed to be a long-term brand for Ubisoft. We won’t launch it until we know it’s equaling the vision it can achieve. We’re playing the long game — and as a company, we know how important it is to get it right.”

With the Xbox One slated to release this Friday, November 22nd, tell us, do you agree with Ubisoft’s prediction about the next-gen hardware? Let us know below.