Retail blamed for Ghost Recon PC ports
But F2P means new dawn for series.
The lack of dedicated PC Ghost Recon titles was a result of the sorry state of the retail market for the platform, Ubisoft has explained.
Theo Sanders, creative director of the forthcoming Ghost Recon Online, told CVG that all PC releases in the series were ported down from the console versions.
"We knew it was a platform we wanted to come back to. However, until recently, the retail market for PC made it difficult to invest in a big, dedicated product," he explained.
However, the future is looking up for fans of the tactical shooter franchise. Sanders explained that the advent of free-to-play is offering developers reason to re-evaluate the platform.
"The emergence of online business models has brought back the opportunity to produce something dedicated to PC fans, rather than just ported multiplatform content."
Ghost Recon Online is due out later this year on PC, with a Wii U release to follow in 2012.
"Ghost Recon Online uses the recipes for fun that have always set Ghost Recon games apart from other shooters - which mostly tend to clump around the run and gun style," added Sanders.
"Pair that with high production values in a game conceptualised from the start to feel native to PC and it's a compelling mix. Ghost Recon Online having an attractive price point - free - doesn't hurt either."