Ubisoft Wants to Please PC Gamers

[Marshall Honorof]

Ubisoft Wants to Please PC Gamers

Ubisoft wants to cozy up to PC gamers with its growing Uplay service.

Many gamers know Uplay as "that service where you can unlock a few Assassin's Creed outfits," but Ubisoft's little store is undergoing a period of renovation. Lately, Uplay has expanded to include a number of third party titles for sale, and will only continue to grow from here. According to Ubisoft, this is the first step in mending its tumultuous relationship with PC gamers. While the company has had a history of putting console gamers ahead of their PC brethren, Ubisoft now courts the love of the hard-to-please PC audience.

"Announcing all these partners for Uplay and a wider choice of PC games, it shows our commitment to PC, and we want to improve our relationship with the PC community," says Stephanie Perotti, Uplay's worldwide director. Perotti does not specify exactly why Ubisoft needs to improve its standing among PC gamers, but its delayed PC ports and sometimes-draconian DRM have rubbed many users the wrong way. Still, Perotti believes that the company is making progress. "With every game on PC we are improving. Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed III on PC were very high quality."

"At Uplay we are also offering all Ubisoft titles, more console content and elements that gamers are more interested in. It's about offering more options and more choice," adds Perotti. Fair enough, but a lack of choice in the Uplay store is not the primary reason why PC gamers have expressed dissatisfaction with Ubisoft. Still, if Ubisoft is committed to a better PC experience, building up its store could be a good first step. The trick is to observe what steps it will take next.

Source: MCVUK [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ubisoft-we-want-to-improve-our-relationship-with-pc-gamers/0111333]

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[Daystar Clarion]

But I don't want to use Uplay...

I like having my games all in the same place (in this case, Steam), and while it isn't that much of a hassle, I still had to make an arbitrary Uplay account just to play Farcry 3.

It's a great game, so i forgive them for that, but I just don't think anyone wants another Origin fiasco.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

I want to agree...but I can't play Far Cry 3, even though I'm well above the recommended specs. Either way, I don't see how giving another online service to buy the same games is going to repair the relationship.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

So are you going to stop accusing us all of being whiny, bitching, pirates now? [small]The truth hurts, you know.[/small]

Still, Far Cry 3 was a very good port (and a good game) and Uplay hasn't been any more intrusive than Steam is lately (for me, at least). I'm still skeptical, though. I give it about 2 years, when the new generation has a bigger install base, until PC gaming is "dying" and we're all supposedly pirates again.

Prove me wrong, Ubi. Prove me wrong.

 

[VincentX3]

I... Actually didn't mind Uplay.

Now put down those Pitchforks and stop calling me a witch!
It actually reminded me of old times, the unlockable costumes and content that it has on some games is not that bad, It actually makes you play the game and beat the challenges to get the points for the unlockables.


Sure, it's not the same as the PS2 and all those simple-times when you just play the game and BAM, new costume and stuff, but it's pretty close.

I only used it to play Assassin's creed III and Far Cry 3 so far, but it didn't bother me one bit.

 

[Gregory Wollf]

I'll respect UBI when they respect me. I bought a legitimate copy of Anno 2070 and the neck deep DRM wouldn't let me play it, even though I was playing by all their rules and had a fully capable computer and internet connection. I Spent two months working with their tech support and tried everything, even deleting part of my operating system 'just to be sure'. They finally gave up and said 'we don't know what the problem is, sorry. We don't do refunds.' In for me to try them again they are going to have to either release something as epic as Dungeon Keeper 3 (unlikely) or they are going to have drop their DRM crap that won't let legitimate customers play their games.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

How about actually doing something to improve your standing with PC gamers Ubisoft instead of just giving lip service to the notion? You could start by not treating pc gamers as thieves, not delaying pc ports and not losing access to games because the server is in maintenance.

 

[josemlopes]

What I would like to see is something like, "You bought the game on Steam so you dont need Uplay as it uses your Steam account to verify your purchase". Like not exactly a partnership but a way of connecting the legal right to access the game for the costumer.
Even better, if I bought the game on the Ubisoft store it should allow me to have it also available on my Steam account by having the 2 accounts connected, the same goes with Origin.


In fact there should the option of having one account that was superior to all the others (Steam, GOG, Origin, Uplay) that would connect all of those and let me play their games straight through that one service without having to mix and match.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I don't dislike Ubisoft, I just like having all my games in one place. And seeing as I'm invested in Steam so much it'd take something spectacular to move me.

But, good PC ports are a good way to win me over. I don't mind delays in order to make them good, I just want them to BE good.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

If you want to please PC gamers you could just, I dunno, retire Uplay. That'd make me pretty content.
And you know, releasing all your games on PC on the same day as the consoles.

 

[paketep]

If Ubi wants to please PC gamers, they should drop Uplay and all the BS associated DRM.

That would be a start. Some apologies would also be good.

 

[Frostbyte666]

Want to please us pc gamers, drop the drm and get on your hands and knees and beg for forgiveness for when you accused us all of being whiny pirates. Then I will think about buying your games again...maybe (probably not).

 

[VladG]

Uhhh.. yeah.. I like that DRM, Ubisoft... yeah! Shove that DRM in! Shove it harder! Yeah! DRM ME! DRM ME HARDER!!

 

[grigjd3]

Uplay is entirely redundant and a huge security risk. If you want my dollars as a PC gamer, then stop thinking of me as the enemy and start thinking of me as a paying customer. Treat me how you should treat one of your sources of income rather than some sort of thief. Until you can accomplish that, you won't earn my money.

 

[LordLundar]

"With every game on PC we are improving. Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed III on PC were very high quality."

The issue isn't about the quality of games, it never has been (Ubisoft usually ranks fairly high in that regard personally). The issue is that to gain legal access to the quality games, customers are forced to deal with some of the worst DRM schemes out there put out by a company that thinks they're all thieves.

In for me to try them again they are going to have to either release something as epic as Dungeon Keeper 3 (unlikely)...

Look up "War for the Overworld". Spiritual sequel to the DK series and Ubisoft's no where near it.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Well you coulda tried that when you were forcing them to sign up for it to access your games.

Sort of like how I have to register non-Valve single player games with Steam while online for some reason? Yeah, that's wonderful.

 

[Frostbite3789]

The issue isn't about the quality of games, it never has been (Ubisoft usually ranks fairly high in that regard personally). The issue is that to gain legal access to the quality games, customers are forced to deal with some of the worst DRM schemes out there put out by a company that thinks they're all thieves.

Please explain to me how a system that is EXACTLY the same as Steam is the worst DRM out there. I haven't had a single problem with Uplay.

 

[Frostbite3789]

Threads like this seriously give me a headache. It really hurts my head how much ignorance is here. All these people complaining about Uplay willingly use Steam. And Uplay is really no worse than that. But we're going to act all entitled and talk about how it's the Worst Thing Ever?.