Ubisoft Encourages Gamers to Embrace Non-Ownership Model
- Ubisoft pre-releases Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and revamps Ubisoft+ subscription services.
- Ubisoft's history of rebranding its online portals despite releasing few non-mobile games.
- Ubisoft's subscription service thrives with millions of subscribers and over half a billion hours played.
- Despite high subscription cost, many gamers subscribe to single publisher's output.
- Ubisoft's vision of consumer shift towards game subscription services, similar to CD and DVD market.
Ubisoft's Pre-release of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Its New Ubisoft+ Subscription Services
Ubisoft has kickstarted the pre-release of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. In addition, the gaming giant has also decided to revamp its Ubisoft+ subscription services this week. The rebranding includes a new, more affordable PC version of the “Classics” tier.
According to the director of subscriptions at Ubisoft, Philippe Tremblay, the goal is to make players more “comfortable” with the concept of not owning their games.
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Ubisoft's Frequent Rebranding and the Demand for It
Ubisoft has a history of frequently rebranding its online portals for its games. The names have changed from Uplay to Ubisoft Game Launcher, Ubisoft Connect, Uplay+, Uplay Passport, Ubisoft Club, and now Ubisoft+ Premium and Ubisoft+ Classics. Despite releasing only five non-mobile games last year, there seems to be a demand for these services, according to Tremblay.
Ubisoft's Subscription Service Reportedly Thriving
In an interview with GI.biz, Tremblay mentions that the company’s subscription service had its biggest ever month in October 2023. The service boasts “millions” of subscribers and “over half a billion hours” played. While some of this might be attributed to Ubisoft’s strategy of not releasing games to Steam, forcing PC players to use its services, it seems people are opting to use it.
The High Cost of Subscribing to a Single Publisher's Output
Despite the success, it's puzzling why so many gamers are willing to subscribe at $17.99 a month to a single publisher’s output. This is a question that would be relevant whether it's Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, or EA. Gamers can subscribe to Game Pass or PlayStation Plus and get a broad range of hundreds of games from dozens of publishers.
The Future of Gaming According to Ubisoft
What’s more concerning is Ubisoft’s vision of a “consumer shift,” similar to the market for CDs and DVDs. They hope for gamers to move over to subscription services, instead of buying physical media. Tremblay suggests that gamers need to get comfortable with not owning their games, just like they did with their CD or DVD collections.
However, Tremblay's claims that these games will always exist and the service will continue are questionable. History has shown that services often don't last and many games become unavailable over time.
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