Explain how ownership shapes media products. Refer to Assassin’s Creed to support your points
How does ownership 'shape' a media product? Students often have an issue with the wording of this question. However, if we boil things down nice and simply, it just refers to how a media product is the product of the production context. To put this even more simply, a big company is more likely to produce a BIG product. A small, indie company is more likely to producer a smaller product, with less resources. Ubisoft are a huge multinational media conglomerate that specialise in making BIG, AAA games. So what are some examples of Assassin's creed being the product of a huge conglomerate?
Huge funding and resources give their games high production values, including high quality lighting, high render distance, detailed textures, NPC quality, sound quality
Specific audience targeting. The assassin’s creed series targets a vast audience through high profile advertising campaigns
Ubisoft are a conglomerate and an established brand. Consumers are more likely to buy games from companies they trust, which gives Ubisoft more revenue
Multiplatform! Can be played on many different consoles, which creates substantially more work
Political bias: the AC games lack a political bias! This allows the games to appeal to huge target audiences
Multinational developer creates multinational games. A variety of different cultures, languages and other elements
Diversification. AC has been spun off in to many different media
High production values, excellent graphics. Realism, textures, sharpness, movement and animation, voice acting, sound effects, soundtrack
Extremely large budget
Multiplatform - makes games significantly harder to develop for!
Multinational ownership leads to a multinational product that can appeal to consumers from around the world. A range of different languages and cultures
Inclusive representation: allows Ubisoft to minimise risk and to maximise profit
Presold audiences. The AC series has big brand identity, which is only possible for a big studio
Uncomplicated political perspectives which ill not alienate audiences
