Game Pass might soon become the all-in-one subscription service for third parties if this rumor is true.
Jez Corden simply tweeted: “Ubisoft+ on Xbox is likely imminent.”
As we know, Jez has his insiders in Microsoft, and he has a good track record with rumors. When he lets something out, it’s usually something close to releasing or being confirmed, as the leaker doesn’t feel that releasing that information would compromise Microsoft’s plans. Of course, that’s important, as Jez’ sources are likely to be Microsoft employees themselves.
Ubisoft Plus is Ubisoft’s own spin on the subscription service, and what they offer is straightforward in itself. Ubisoft’s entire library of games are part of the service, so if you are a fan of Ubisoft games in general, this is likely the cheapest way you can get to play them.
This runs the gamut of the games Ubisoft makes themselves, as well as the games they publish on behalf of other studios. Think Rayman, Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Tom Clancy, Watch Dogs, and For Honor, but also Might and Magic, The Settlers, Anno, etc.
Even at this point in time where Ubisoft isn’t quite as popular as other major third party game companies like Take-Two Interactive or EA, they still have among the biggest and most successful franchises in the industry. And that includes some live service games they have now, and several in development.
The bigger picture for this, of course, is on Microsoft itself. Microsoft incorporating EA Play was itself a big move that guaranteed EA’s line of annual sports games would be part of every Game Pass subscription.
As we anticipate Microsoft finalizing their purchase of Activision Blizzard King, getting Ubisoft under their wing also makes their product stronger.
And, of course, Ubisoft and EA also see a significant upside to working with Xbox, and not working with Sony here. Microsoft’s nascent game streaming service, and anticipated entry to mobile gaming by offering their own app store, also creates opportunities for them as well.
If Game Pass streaming offered Ubisoft and EA games, even if Blizzard stuck to their word about not working with game streaming themselves, it would still be an irresistible package in the game streaming market.
And, of course, Microsoft teaming up with multiple cloud streaming providers means they are poised to take a dominant position in that market in the near future.
Ubisoft hasn’t dropped any hints or teases that this was even under consideration, but if Jez is right, we may not have to wait that long to see it.
