It has often been suggested that PC games have their graphics quality lowered in order to keep them in line with their console versions, but never before has a developer openly admitted that is the case. However, in a new interview, a Ubisoft dev states that The Division‘s visual quality was lowered on the PC in order to keep it “in check” with the console versions.
The interview, held by YouTube channel Team Epiphany, sees the Ubisoft dev make the comments at around the 13-minute mark. When asked whether PC developers ever find themselves restricted by having to make sure their games are comparable with their console versions, the developer replied: “One good thing about The Division is we’ve always considered the PC as a separate platform… it hasn’t really held it back too much. We do have to keep it in check with the consoles; it would be kind of unfair to push it so far away from them. But it’s been good having a dedicated PC build for this game. “
He added: “I’m really happy that we’re pushing the PC build as much as we are; there’s a lot more customized options than the console.”
You can watch the interview below:
While it has been suspected for a long time that publishers actively force the PC versions of their multi-platform games to have a lower visual quality, the industry has remained tight-lipped in regards to this being an actual tactic it employs in order to make console games not look weaker by comparison. While The Division will inevitably look better on PC than it will on the PS4 and Xbox One, it seems that Ubisoft is ensuring that the difference in quality won’t be too noticeable.
