Ubisoft's Main Goal in Assassin's Creed Film is Bringing Franchise to New Audience

Ubisoft's new film division launches in earnest this year with Assassin's Creed, which based on the first trailer and still shots, has garnered some decent buzz, especially from fans of the videogame franchise. Of course, that's not who Ubisoft needs to get excited about this movie, though, or at least it's not their only audience.

Ubisoft Europe boss Alain Corre wants Assassin's Creed, as a brand, to get in front of eyes that have never played one of the games, or read a comicbook or novel about the franchise. That desire trumps even the direct profit earned for Ubisoft as a company on the film.

"We [Ubisoft] are not going to earn a lot of money from it. It is a lot more a marketing thing, it is also good for the image of the brand," Corre told MCVUK. "Although we will make some money, it is not the purpose of this movie. The purpose is to bring Assassin's Creed to more people. We have our core fans, but what we would like is to put this franchise in front of a lot more people who, maybe, will then pick up future Assassin's Creed games."

Some blogs and reporters seem to be interpreting this as a lack of faith in the box office performance of the film, completely ignoring that this is a Ubisoft representative talking about Ubisoft's perspective, not someone from 20th Century Fox talking about box office expectations. Ubisoft Motion Pictures is one of six listed production companies on the film (specifically as "in association with"), and is not a chief financier on the movie. So, no matter how the film does, Ubisoft, as a company, won't make a lot of money from it. The option fee was already paid, so that's probably not even factoring into Corre's statements.

Corre said absolutely nothing about box office expectations, or how much money the film will make in theaters; he only made a statement about Ubisoft's direct financial involvement in it.

Assassin's Creed hits theaters this December, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, and directed by Justin Kurzel.