JB Oger
@jboger.bsky.social
Founder & Game Director Sleepy Mill Studio
Made Drop Duchy (2025) and more!
Made Drop Duchy (2025) and more!
Si tu veux te lancer dans les boissons par ex, t’as aucune chance de concurrencer Coca sur les sodas car les buveurs de coca cherchent pas la nouveauté. Alors que sur le marché des bières artisanales, ouais t’as une vraie possibilité, le public est demandeur.
November 24, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Si tu veux te lancer dans les boissons par ex, t’as aucune chance de concurrencer Coca sur les sodas car les buveurs de coca cherchent pas la nouveauté. Alors que sur le marché des bières artisanales, ouais t’as une vraie possibilité, le public est demandeur.
Le jeu vidéo peut donner cette illusion que tout est possible, n’importe quel jeu peut avoir du succès, mais c’est partiellement vrai car certains publics demandent de la nouveauté tandis que d’autres se contentent juste du meilleur de sa catégorie (qui est souvent là depuis bien longtemps)
November 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Le jeu vidéo peut donner cette illusion que tout est possible, n’importe quel jeu peut avoir du succès, mais c’est partiellement vrai car certains publics demandent de la nouveauté tandis que d’autres se contentent juste du meilleur de sa catégorie (qui est souvent là depuis bien longtemps)
Il dit les choses telles qu’elles sont, son message c’est qu’il y a des genres sur lesquels des indés à petit budget ont une chance car la demande est très forte. Que ce soit des jeux qualitatifs ou mémorables ou intéressants à créer n’est pas vraiment de son ressort, libre à chacun de suivre ou pas
November 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Il dit les choses telles qu’elles sont, son message c’est qu’il y a des genres sur lesquels des indés à petit budget ont une chance car la demande est très forte. Que ce soit des jeux qualitatifs ou mémorables ou intéressants à créer n’est pas vraiment de son ressort, libre à chacun de suivre ou pas
And better yet, I’m also certain than simple catchy concepts are produced faster since everyone in the team is more naturally aligned on the direction, on where the fun should be.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk, bye bye!
(sorry for this absurd long thread, I got carried out a bit lol)
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk, bye bye!
(sorry for this absurd long thread, I got carried out a bit lol)
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
And better yet, I’m also certain than simple catchy concepts are produced faster since everyone in the team is more naturally aligned on the direction, on where the fun should be.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk, bye bye!
(sorry for this absurd long thread, I got carried out a bit lol)
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk, bye bye!
(sorry for this absurd long thread, I got carried out a bit lol)
This would this make people feel involved in the company’s success again and motivate them.
Just make the whole thing anonymous so there’s no ego involved and no people claiming « it’s my idea, I want to be the creative director ». Ideas are cheap, collective intelligence is a strength
Just make the whole thing anonymous so there’s no ego involved and no people claiming « it’s my idea, I want to be the creative director ». Ideas are cheap, collective intelligence is a strength
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
This would this make people feel involved in the company’s success again and motivate them.
Just make the whole thing anonymous so there’s no ego involved and no people claiming « it’s my idea, I want to be the creative director ». Ideas are cheap, collective intelligence is a strength
Just make the whole thing anonymous so there’s no ego involved and no people claiming « it’s my idea, I want to be the creative director ». Ideas are cheap, collective intelligence is a strength
How can Ubisoft shift things around now? Here’s my suggestion Yves: ask your 15k+ employees to submit and evaluate pitch ideas.
Starting with one sentence, then one image, then a 1 minute fake trailer. If people go « why not, maybe, idk », discard the idea.
Starting with one sentence, then one image, then a 1 minute fake trailer. If people go « why not, maybe, idk », discard the idea.
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
How can Ubisoft shift things around now? Here’s my suggestion Yves: ask your 15k+ employees to submit and evaluate pitch ideas.
Starting with one sentence, then one image, then a 1 minute fake trailer. If people go « why not, maybe, idk », discard the idea.
Starting with one sentence, then one image, then a 1 minute fake trailer. If people go « why not, maybe, idk », discard the idea.
And unpopular opinion: gamers are ready to accept a loooot of jankiness as long as they’re playing cool shit. Like, a lot. Remember Cyberpunk.
Spending more time to make a bigger and more polished game is never going to replace the strength of an irresistible concept.
Spending more time to make a bigger and more polished game is never going to replace the strength of an irresistible concept.
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
And unpopular opinion: gamers are ready to accept a loooot of jankiness as long as they’re playing cool shit. Like, a lot. Remember Cyberpunk.
Spending more time to make a bigger and more polished game is never going to replace the strength of an irresistible concept.
Spending more time to make a bigger and more polished game is never going to replace the strength of an irresistible concept.
Many factors can explain why games are bigger and take longer to make, it’s not just a Ubisoft thing. But if anything that should push them to dedicate so much more resources to figure out the catchiest core premises, the ideas that can instantly sell themselves with their first 2 minutes trailer.
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Many factors can explain why games are bigger and take longer to make, it’s not just a Ubisoft thing. But if anything that should push them to dedicate so much more resources to figure out the catchiest core premises, the ideas that can instantly sell themselves with their first 2 minutes trailer.
However, and this is the second factor, Ubisoft also lost its velocity and that amplifies the problem imo.
They used to be able to make games so fast, so a mid-success wasn’t as much of a problem.
And if it did work, they’d capitalize super fast (AC Brotherhood)
They used to be able to make games so fast, so a mid-success wasn’t as much of a problem.
And if it did work, they’d capitalize super fast (AC Brotherhood)
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
However, and this is the second factor, Ubisoft also lost its velocity and that amplifies the problem imo.
They used to be able to make games so fast, so a mid-success wasn’t as much of a problem.
And if it did work, they’d capitalize super fast (AC Brotherhood)
They used to be able to make games so fast, so a mid-success wasn’t as much of a problem.
And if it did work, they’d capitalize super fast (AC Brotherhood)
Even if they were the first in their respective series, The Div 2 would be less attractive than Div 1. FC6 less than FC3. Motorfest less than The Crew. WD3 less than WD1.And I could go on and on.
And idk if they were lucky back then in deciding their concepts or have changed their approach since
And idk if they were lucky back then in deciding their concepts or have changed their approach since
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Even if they were the first in their respective series, The Div 2 would be less attractive than Div 1. FC6 less than FC3. Motorfest less than The Crew. WD3 less than WD1.And I could go on and on.
And idk if they were lucky back then in deciding their concepts or have changed their approach since
And idk if they were lucky back then in deciding their concepts or have changed their approach since
It’s an issue in the current game market where ideas are kings again. Games need to have a dead-simple-yet-ultra-catchy premise, otherwise they join the list of « maybe when it’s on sale »
It doesn’t help when a game is a sequel of something players already know but it’s not the core problem imo
It doesn’t help when a game is a sequel of something players already know but it’s not the core problem imo
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
It’s an issue in the current game market where ideas are kings again. Games need to have a dead-simple-yet-ultra-catchy premise, otherwise they join the list of « maybe when it’s on sale »
It doesn’t help when a game is a sequel of something players already know but it’s not the core problem imo
It doesn’t help when a game is a sequel of something players already know but it’s not the core problem imo
It’s not so much a lack of originality or intrinsic quality that is ruining recent Ubisoft games (Avatar, Outlaws, Breakpoint, Shadows, etc); in many ways those games fix the flaws of their predecessors. But they’re simply less appealing concepts than they used to.
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
It’s not so much a lack of originality or intrinsic quality that is ruining recent Ubisoft games (Avatar, Outlaws, Breakpoint, Shadows, etc); in many ways those games fix the flaws of their predecessors. But they’re simply less appealing concepts than they used to.
Sure, those games didn’t always deliver and failed to meet the players expectations. But they sold very well because they were catchy at their very core.
The recent Ubisoft games that went big such as Valhalla do the same, they have a dead simple catchy premise: play as a Viking doing Viking shit
The recent Ubisoft games that went big such as Valhalla do the same, they have a dead simple catchy premise: play as a Viking doing Viking shit
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Sure, those games didn’t always deliver and failed to meet the players expectations. But they sold very well because they were catchy at their very core.
The recent Ubisoft games that went big such as Valhalla do the same, they have a dead simple catchy premise: play as a Viking doing Viking shit
The recent Ubisoft games that went big such as Valhalla do the same, they have a dead simple catchy premise: play as a Viking doing Viking shit
The premises were to play charismatic characters (WD), reinvented genres (CS but with destruction and operators), fun freedom of action in the gameplay (hacking, riding the mountain), beautiful original setting (The Div), massive scope (drive accross the whole USA)
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
The premises were to play charismatic characters (WD), reinvented genres (CS but with destruction and operators), fun freedom of action in the gameplay (hacking, riding the mountain), beautiful original setting (The Div), massive scope (drive accross the whole USA)
Let’s talk about the concepts, the « hooks ». Ubi in the 2010s was the king of E3 because they had so many diverse catchy ideas, with strong premises.
Watch Dogs, For Honor, The Division, R6 Siege, The Crew, Steep, Rocksmith, etc. The lineup was so strong
Watch Dogs, For Honor, The Division, R6 Siege, The Crew, Steep, Rocksmith, etc. The lineup was so strong
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Let’s talk about the concepts, the « hooks ». Ubi in the 2010s was the king of E3 because they had so many diverse catchy ideas, with strong premises.
Watch Dogs, For Honor, The Division, R6 Siege, The Crew, Steep, Rocksmith, etc. The lineup was so strong
Watch Dogs, For Honor, The Division, R6 Siege, The Crew, Steep, Rocksmith, etc. The lineup was so strong
There are two factors in Ubisoft current’s struggles that people never mention because they’re so focused on the « they keep doing the same thing » narrative:
- the lack of catchy concepts
- the speed at which they’re releasing games.
Ubisoft nowadays is doing worse than it used to.
- the lack of catchy concepts
- the speed at which they’re releasing games.
Ubisoft nowadays is doing worse than it used to.
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
There are two factors in Ubisoft current’s struggles that people never mention because they’re so focused on the « they keep doing the same thing » narrative:
- the lack of catchy concepts
- the speed at which they’re releasing games.
Ubisoft nowadays is doing worse than it used to.
- the lack of catchy concepts
- the speed at which they’re releasing games.
Ubisoft nowadays is doing worse than it used to.
In this day and age, players have access to free/cheap gaming options to spend an hour of their time, but back then you really hated to spend 60$ on a PS3 game that was finished in 8 hours. The very concept of openworld was super cool because you’d be able to make your own fun/have lots of secondary
November 20, 2025 at 8:25 AM
In this day and age, players have access to free/cheap gaming options to spend an hour of their time, but back then you really hated to spend 60$ on a PS3 game that was finished in 8 hours. The very concept of openworld was super cool because you’d be able to make your own fun/have lots of secondary
It's a fantastic strategic experience, but idk, I'm having mixed feelings like I had with Blue Prince. Both have this thing where (at some point) being great at the game means nothing unless you follow some weird steps. Guess I prefer Balatro's approach where high score is always the best.
November 2, 2025 at 1:40 PM
It's a fantastic strategic experience, but idk, I'm having mixed feelings like I had with Blue Prince. Both have this thing where (at some point) being great at the game means nothing unless you follow some weird steps. Guess I prefer Balatro's approach where high score is always the best.
(btw it's okay not to play everything good that comes out, it's part of life)
September 27, 2025 at 12:16 PM
(btw it's okay not to play everything good that comes out, it's part of life)
And finally, the market is "nearly impenetrable". Where's the data about the games that succeed and who made them?
Here are the top new releases for Steam in August: store.steampowered.com/charts/topne...
I count 15 games out of 36 (40%) that come from new developers, it doesn't sound bad to me.
Here are the top new releases for Steam in August: store.steampowered.com/charts/topne...
I count 15 games out of 36 (40%) that come from new developers, it doesn't sound bad to me.
September 27, 2025 at 12:16 PM
And finally, the market is "nearly impenetrable". Where's the data about the games that succeed and who made them?
Here are the top new releases for Steam in August: store.steampowered.com/charts/topne...
I count 15 games out of 36 (40%) that come from new developers, it doesn't sound bad to me.
Here are the top new releases for Steam in August: store.steampowered.com/charts/topne...
I count 15 games out of 36 (40%) that come from new developers, it doesn't sound bad to me.