Ubisoft - Social Listening

 The brand I selected is the video game publishing company Ubisoft which has produced popular titles such as Rainbow Six Siege, the Assassin's Creed titles, Far Cry, and many more titles as well. The general online feelings toward the company are rather hostile, filled with many complaints about their various games, especially with the announcement of a new Assassin's Creed game which includes historical inaccuracies that have left people feeling offended, and having a distaste. There are also numerous complaints about the various titles of game servers and the difficulties their customers are having connecting to their games and having a seamless time playing. Other complaints include large cheating problems in one of their most popular games Rainbow Six Siege, with many users claiming that the company is only milking as much money as they can from the player base, as opposed to improving their game and releasing new content. The negative feedback of their multiple titles has led to a falloff in their player bases throughout the titles, especially Rainbow Six Siege, which is seeing a 20% monthly drop in active players. I chose this brand since I’ve played their titles for a long time, and Rainbow Six Siege is my most played game ever, I’ve also noticed a blatant decline in the quality of work and wanted to see how others felt about the situation. Ubisoft's value proposition is to provide different gaming worlds where the user can immerse themselves in, enjoying the story or the teamwork with friends. Providing realistic graphics along with fine-tuned gameplay to allow the best experience for the user possible, and push the limits of their creativity with constantly ambitious projects being developed. The specific comments are majorly negative as most people use social media as a place to complain about video games, and with the decrease in overall quality from their recent titles, it makes sense there is an increased outrage. The first comment I saw under a trailer for the new AC game which takes place in historical Japan, and “Yorch la Torch” claims that the Assassin’s Creed brand no longer respects its fans. And claims it has predatory pricing tiers, while being rampant with “wokeness” that he claims kills entertainment, and is uninspiring. The post I saw that was trending on Twitter was a meme format of somebody standing in front of a large electrical box with numerous wires going all over the place holding a tiny hand-held fan trying to cool down said electrical box, and it is titled “Rainbow Six Siege Servers RN”. This insinuates the company is incompetent, due to the common crashes of something as vital as the server you play the game on, and the length of time it takes them to resolve said issues. The last popular comment I saw was on Facebook under Ubisoft Support, which included someone named Alejandro Morris explaining how it is “utterly pointless” seeking help from the support line, and how they don’t have the means to resolve any of his issues despite the countless support tickets he’s created. The various trailers, and promotional campaigns the companies run for events in their games or new releases, are often met with many negative responses, with the caveat being users on Twitter tend to be very extreme with their opinions and hide under anonymity allowing them to not have consequences, or be judged for what they say. The company is definitely trying to engage its player base, generate hype for its new content, and create brand recognition for the multiple titles under its company. They don’t have many connections with their community and don’t often react to the user's feedback directly, with most responses being automated messages which have led people to believe they only care about the bottom line. Using stunning visuals, and trailers of gameplay to either tell stories or showcase different mechanics in their game is a strong way to garner hype, however, their lack of connection with the users makes bad narratives stick easier as they don’t respond or act on the feedback in a timely manner. Overall they get people to talk about their games, whether that be in a negative light or a positive one, but the publicity nonetheless allows their new titles and content to be well known. The company support accounts typically respond with automated messages, but their website includes a way to talk to a live agent to resolve any major issues. This displays they know it is important to receive feedback however the complaint that they don’t act on said feedback is still valid, and those complaining on the app who receive automated messages may not be aware of the live agent option on their actual website. If I was the brand manager, I would eliminate the automated messaging system altogether, and only allow live admins to respond to complaints to show they’re in touch with the player base. Ubisoft has high-profit margins and could afford to hire numerous new support staff to have quicker responses. I’d also implement monthly Question and answering sessions with the developers directly so the customers can relay their feedback, and be confident that it’s reaching those working on their favorite games. This assignment was valuable in giving perspective on how to treat your customers, how everything you release on social media will be closely analyzed, and the damages that a disconnect from player feedback, and the development team can cause. Overall, it’s important to show the value you have for your customers and make sure they always feel well-received. 

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