Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV preorders “very strong” says Ubisoft

Ahead of launch this year, preorders for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and newcomer Watch Dogs are “very strong,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told Bloomberg in a new interview.

“There’s a thirst for new products among our clients,” Guillemot said. “It’s been a very long time since the last generation of consoles was released–there’s very strong built-up appetite that transforms very quickly into preorders. And we haven’t seen the end of it.”

Both Watch Dogs and Assasin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be released on current- and next-generation consoles later this year beginning in November.

Sony will launch its PlayStation 4 on November 15 in North America, November 29 in Europe, and in 32 countries by the end of the year. Preorders for the console have already exceeded one million units.

By comparison, Microsoft will release the Xbox One in November in 13 countries, down from its previously announced 21 regions. Microsoft has not announced a release date for the console.

Guillemot said Ubisoft eagerly awaits the upcoming console transition, hoping to gain market share in the process.

“In the gaming industry, new consoles are an opportunity to reshuffle the cards. That’s when market share changes are potentially the biggest,” Guillemot said. “We want to use this time to launch or relaunch our brands. With each generation we try to climb up a step and grab a few more points of market share.”