Social, Cultural and Digital Technology Effects of Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation Production and Distribution

How do social and cultural contexts influence the production of video games?

Digital media is a prime example of the social and cultural contexts influencing the production of Assassin's Creed III Liberation (AC3L). This is shown by the technological advancement in gaming hardware, allowing developers at Ubisoft to release Assassin’s Creed (AC) franchise across new gaming platforms. The game was launched as an exclusive, flagship, game of Action-Adventure genre for the PS Vita in 2012 and was launched alongside AC3 and DLCs. This implies new distribution channels and new digital media allows video games to be enhanced for fans allowing a more diverse experience. This idea conforms to David Gauntlett’s Pick and Mix, suggesting a wider variety of media content allows audiences to construct an identity. Therefore the interactive synergy of the AC franchise with the new digital media can influence the production of video games.


Another influence is the industry conglomerates exploiting franchises such as AC to minimise the risk of investment and to further profits. AC3L has a large consumer fanbase with repeat customers. Demand for the franchise is high, therefore it is easy to market games with guaranteed gratification, such Hesmondlagh outlines the easy access to a mass audience through franchises in this way. This shows that the AC franchise; headlining a USP of being on the PS Vita upon release, the convergence with the AC3 game on other platforms and the additional DLC content for dedicated fans. This leads us to believe economic influence on video game production is highly significant motivation behind development.


Audiences have an influence on the production of video games. Featured in AC3L is the first female playable character in the franchise. This is significant as the audience will be able to gain a personal identity with the Character, as Stuart Hall details and help the game franchise succeed with a relatively new target audience, on a platform focused on to a female, on the go, gaming audience. This is significant as in previous editions it’s always been portrayed to be the strong, white male character. Therefore showing the audience’s demographic having influence on the production of video games.


Ubisoft, as a video game production company, has always tried to push boundaries of acceptance and through the franchise has presented an ethnically diverse range of characters and avatars within the game. This is not typical practice within the industry, which conforms to van Zoonen belief of women being suppressed, as much as race and socioeconomic status. By having a broad range of characters it refutes the Patriarchal World View, even giving the game a USP and focus on gameplay, rather than repeated messages of male dominance. This reflects the diversity of the gaming community and positions AC3L as leading franchise and appeals socially and culturally to a broad target audience.

How has digital technology affected the production and distribution of video games?

Considering the production details of AC3L, a significant element of the game is a non-diegetic score which is present during gameplay. Composed by Winfred Phillips, it allows the player to be immersed into the gameplay, allowing for enhanced gratification and allowing the gamer to deepen rapport with the protagonist Aveline. Phillips suggested the PS Vita had allowed composing to be little influenced by the capabilities of the hardware’s sound playback. Therefore this has allowed her to incorporate musical styles and cultural influences of Aveline’s heritage, moreover to reflect the protagonists strong, warm but also contrasting aggressive nature. AC3L narrative, applying Barthes narrative codes, could deepen the action within the gameplay with the Proairetic Code, but more evidently the Semic Code as the score allows the gamer to further understanding of characters, settings, and events with the information to which the soundtrack provides.This shows the direct impact of the new digital media and how it has affected the production of video games and enhancing the experience for gamers upon distribution.


Analysis of AC marketing strategy can reveal some effects of digital media on production and distribution. AC3L is a flagship game for the partnered Ubisoft and Sony. With an immense amount of market research with online fan forums, Ubisoft was able to directly connect with fans and collect qualitative data about what they expected and didn’t want from the new game. Equally new digital media has allowed marketing to be direct to the consumer, as well as making it easier and subliminal to cross-promote content online and for the new release game and PS Vita console, as expert opinion, benefiting both corporations. Examples of this can be seen where the launch event of the PS Vita, AC3L was promoted to fans. They act opinion leaders to Sony fans and the AC franchise, this is based on the theory of Katz and Lazarsfeld. By targeting consumers of the franchise and the new audiences of the Vita they are able to maximise revenues and new digital technologies, such as social media, help facilitate this targeted marketing.


The convergence of the products Ubisoft have created such as the links between the cinema blockbuster and the PS3 game to the AC3L on PS Vita allowed players to learn more about the characters and unlock DLC. Cleverly this convergence allows Ubisoft to maximise profitability on their franchise, as Hesmondlagh’s theory suggests, in hope that fans will watch the film and purchase both games. This shows how digital media has influenced the production and distribution of the game.


New digital media has created a regulation conundrum. Livingstone and Lunt argue how regulation should work, whether it should be self-regulated or not. With AC, although rated 18, content is highly accessible online. Interestingly, PS Vita is aimed at a younger female demographic, as a handheld mobile device, therefore the promotion of AC3L on PS Vita is questionable whether profit is exploited over ethics. Additionally, with new digital media, online e-commerce marketplaces for games such as PSN and Steam allowing users to purchase games without any age verification. This is beneficial to Ubisoft as they are able to maximise profits through new distribution channels, however, create social and ethical unease with Sony, community, and Governments.