Earlier this year I was invited by Ubisoft UK to attend gamescom as a representative of the Rainbow Six: Siege brand. What I didn’t know was that I’d come face-to-face with the CEO and co-founder of Ubisoft.
My first gamescom was an incredible experience. It was quite different from the events I’m usually used to; comic-cons, R6 Majors and Six Invitationals. The focus wasn’t on one particular game or brand, but thousands, and there were so many people.
All-in-all it was a great event. I got to network a little, I was in cosplay representing Siege – first as Smoke, then Sledge – and I got to engage with other members of our community who had been invited by their respective regional Ubisoft teams. I met new friends, and got to hang out with old ones who were dearly missed.
But I was in for a surprise… Ubisoft had arranged a special VIP meeting on the Thursday where I, my fellow Siege cosplayers & VIPs, as well as VIPs from the other Ubisoft brands like Assassin’s Creed, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Rayman, were treated to something incredible – a birthday party celebrating Ubisoft turning 40 years old.
The cake was delicious, and a much-needed sugar boost for cosplaying the entire day as Smoke. However, we were also given another treat – an opportunity to speak with Yves Guillemot, one of the co-founders of Ubisoft, who had asked to sit down with each of us and have us tell him what Ubisoft were doing right, what they were doing wrong in our opinion, and how we believed they could improve.
I will admit, it was quite nerve-wracking sitting directly across from M. Guillemot. Our group, the Siege VIPs, were the first to meet him, and after we sat down there was a muted silence – none of us knew how to begin. But, with a little coaxing from one of the team, I decided I’d use this opportunity to tell him about the creative community surrounding Siege, and see what I could do to improve the experience for all involved.
I told him about our vast creative scene, about the cosplayers, the fanartists, the people who make content just for the fun of it. I also told him of the support we’ve had over the past few years from the teams at Ubi, and how impressed & happy I, and others, are with it. But I also told him that certain things had been stopped over the years. Certain ways that a creative person in our community could get the spotlight shone on them had been shelved, or how cosplay guides had been stopped after Thorn’s release.
My fellow VIP Kalith_99 summed it up perfectly; the support and our community are in a great place right now, and we are happy with how involved Ubi’s teams are, but it can absolutely be better.
To his credit, M. Guillemot did seem to be engrossed in what we were saying and taking it onboard. He was there and was listening to us.
Time will tell if anything I said to him will bear fruit. I hope it does, and I know for a fact that everything I told him & commented on was taken down in notes by staff at the meet & greet. But, for the most part, I am quite thankful to him for taking the time to sit down & talk, but also listen, to what we had to say.
I’m also incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be present at such a celebration, and to have been chosen alongside DawnOfShadow, BarstoolBear, Kalith_99 and Fitia to represent Siege. Despite my protestations that there are far more deserving people than I who deserve the spot, Ubi did not relent. I’m so very grateful for the experience.
Happy birthday Ubisoft.
