The games industry is disruption, says Assassin’s Creed producer

By Brenna Hillier

Former Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond has characterised the games industry as one long series of upsets.

The games industry changes all the time, and that’s one of its best qualities, Raymond said.

The ex-Ubisoft leader told Polygon that the reason seh got into games in the first place was because it “is this undefined thing that has been evolving continuously and constantly changing”.

“It’s funny because every year you go to these events like DICE or wherever, and everybody’s talking about, ‘Oh my god, disruption in the game industry and it’s crazy.’

“But it’s like, ‘Haven’t you been in the game industry forever, and hasn’t there been this crazy disruption every single year?’

“Either it’s social games on Facebook, oh no, now it’s mobile, oh no, now it’s Early Access, now it’s VR and HoloLens.

“That’s what the industry is. That’s what attracted me to it.

“I love the fact that we are pushing the medium forward, and what the medium is, is continuously redefining the way people engage. I think games will continue to evolve and I want to be part of that process of pushing things forward.”

What a beautiful way to look at the world of games, and a far cry (see what I did there) from the reactionary, adjustment-disorder face the media often paints on gamers and game markers.

Raymond worked in the games industry for ten years as a programmer before joining Ubisoft as producer for the first two Assassin’s Creed games and part of Brotherhood. She later helped found Ubisoft Toronto, building it from absolutely nothing into a 350-strong team, before announcing her intention to move on in October last year. She is yet to reveal her future plans.