In a recent post from Ubisoft, the company began listing services which would be removed or “decommissioned” on September 1st. While it’s not uncommon for online services to end, one thing which stuck out to users was that single player DLC for multiple Assassin’s Creed titles would be inaccessible going forward.
The games listed, which range from Anno 2070 to ZombiU inform users that they’ll be unable to link their Ubisoft accounts, use online features, or even play multiplayer. But some games like the Assassin’s Creed games take it a step further, informing users “Additionally, the installation and access to downloadable content (DLC) will be unavailable”.
For over a decade, users have warned that online ownership of games would lead to this sort of situation. That owning the license to a game still enabled the companies hosting the download to remove your access to the game you paid for. This is a problem that wouldn’t otherwise occur with physical media like cartridges or CDs (my Sega Genesis copy of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine is still playable).
In their post, Ubisoft claims that these removals will allow them to focus their resources servicing players who are “playing newer or more popular titles”. However these changes will leave owners of older games in the lurch when it comes to content that they paid for, and also undermines the integrity of these “newer or more popular titles”.
Ubisoft’s upcoming title Skull and Bones is expected to have a single player campaign and if there’s any DLC or expansions for this game how long will you be allowed to play it? Given some of the games being decommissioned are as new as 2013, you have about 9 years to enjoy Skull and Bones once it comes out.
