Assassin’s Creed: Unity could be going all digital if Ubisoft’s latest comments are an indication. The same goes for all future titles from one of the biggest game developers of our time. Back when Microsoft announced the DRM policy and the “always on” internet requirement, Ubisoft was the game publisher who said it was a good idea.
This is probably the reason you need a Uplay account to access their latest games’ fullest potential. Ubisoft is embracing the idea of keeping their games out of the used game bins, and there is no better way to do so than to assign an account to every copy they sell. It seems they may be abandoning the physical disc format entirely as well.
This possibility has been uncovered in a recent statement from VP of digital publishing Chris Early :
“I think there are some models that are accepted now. DLC is pretty much accepted. Season pass is pretty much accepted. Now it’s interesting when you start to think of Season Pass as a Service Pass. For our Season Pass holders, I know we hold events for them specifically, so it’s [a] little bit more than just DLC content. So there’s an evolution going on there.”
This evolution may extend to Assassin’s Creed: Unity in full if Ubisoft continues to take this route. Early also mentioned that very few people actually complained about Black Flag ‘s “Time Saver” DLC packs, something that would eventually be unlocked through normal gameplay. This might not seem so shocking for most, but if you think about it, it’s the equivalent of buying the treasure maps in AC2 with real money instead of in-game currency. It’s only a dollar each, but the implications could be pointing to something bigger.
[We apologize for one of the tweets below, which contains some vulgar language but proves a point]
People no longer hate DLC, according to Ubisoft http://t.co/ACyV0PiZmi pic.twitter.com/lVROs3jKgh
— VG247 (@VG247) July 7, 2014
It could mean that making Assassin’s Creed: Unity digital only is an option. The reason behind DLC to begin with was that parts of the game weren’t ready in time. Gamers had to buy what the developers finished later in addition, as a way to get more money from the same thing. We are technically paying potentially hundreds of dollars for the full game when it used to be one release all at once for the same price.
@JimSterling My take on Ubisoft games: Wait a year, buy the bugfixed complete edition with all DLC for under 40 bucks during sale – Repeat
— Ezekiel Rage (@Ezekiel_Rage) July 7, 2014
Now we’re so used to buying parts of the game after it’s already been released that Ubisoft and other developers are realizing they can get more money out of us just by not putting the full game in the initial release.
Ubisoft could be getting ready to take Microsoft’s original vision all the way and simply release games like Assassin’s Creed: Unity digitally all the way.
Are you ready for what could be the end of physical discs for gaming?
[image via mashable ]