While Ubisoft's 2019 remarks indicated the Steam distribution model was "unrealistic," the company has decided to return to the platform with the impending release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's final update. Activision plans to come back to Steam, as well.
Ubisoft is just one of several developers who have abandoned Steam in favor of its own shop or Epic's launcher in recent years.
Upcoming Update on Assassin's Creed Valhalla
There is a brand new Assassin's Creed Valhalla page up on Steam right now.
Its initial release was in 2020 for PCs and consoles, including a massive open world.
As one of the few Assassin's Creed games, you had to utilize Ubisoft's launcher or the Epic Store if you wanted to play it on your computer.
Now on Dec. 6, just in time for its gigantic final update, Ubisoft is delivering the already-too-big RPG as it will finally arrive on the platform, Kotaku reported.
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The Return of Ubisoft Titles to Steam
In a statement sent to Kotaku, Ubisoft confirmed its return to Steam and detailed its future intentions to bring further titles to the platform.
"We're constantly evaluating how to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are while providing a consistent player ecosystem through Ubisoft Connect. Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Anno 1800, and Roller Champions are among the Ubisoft titles that will be releasing on Steam," said the company.
According to Kotaku, the Assassin's Creed developer has confirmed that Ubisoft Connect accounts would still be required to play future Steam releases. Thus, players will need Ubisoft Connect to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla on Steam.
Coming back to Steam is a major change for the publishing company.
Ubisoft's 2019 decision to offer titles like Assassin's Creed on its then-named Uplay store and Epic's store, where it received a higher percentage of the sales, was a "business decision," the company said.
In the fall of the same year, Ubisoft's director of partnerships and revenue criticized Steam's distribution strategy, calling it "unrealistic" and saying it did not "reflect where the world is today in terms of game distribution."
Times have changed, and Steam seems now well-adapted to the global game sales and distribution landscape of 2022.
Why did Publishers Leave Steam?
In Kotaku's own words, video game publishers are notoriously "greedy." And most online marketplaces, like Valve's massively successful Steam, charge a fee on top of the price of each game and downloadable content pack.
Numerous companies, such as Activision, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts (EA), have spent the last few years developing their own PC launchers and shops to avoid paying a cut to Steam.
It escalated quickly, and many of the launchers available were substandard, provided no incentive to use, and were constantly only one update away from entirely malfunctioning.
Consequently, it is safe to assume that many Steam users disapproved of publishers leaving the platform.
In addition, companies probably have recognized that they are wasting money on subpar launchers while ignoring Steam. For instance, after neglecting Steam for a while, Ubisoft has returned.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Trisha Kae Andrada
