News - Major new Ubisoft games will not be available in UK's Steam Store

[eugenius]

OMG!!! MOM, they changed the DRM!!!

[Syphadeus]

20 Years ago games weren't broken on release.
20 Years ago unit sales were much lower
20 Years ago there wasn't the tools available to create content easily
20 Years ago they weren't throwing out yearly map-packs and calling them a full product

I could go on......

20 years ago:

1) Games couldn't be broken on release as there was pretty much no way to update them. However the advent of the patch is not a new thing.

2) Unit sales were lower. Presumably the basis of a flawed view that this justified higher unit price? Development of games costs millions now, with teams of hundreds, completely dwarfing the budgets and man hours of older games. As an industry the risk is greater. As a capitalist society the purpose is profit, your hobby and enjoyment are a byproduct. Argue all you like, your point will stand alone.

3) Tools to create content easily are born of technological improvement and success of the industry. Quality has improved vastly but so have standards. You couldn't put a game out today to the standard of a 20 year old game and have it sell. Plus it doesn't make content a no brainer to produce, you still need talent else why don't you make your own games instead of buying other people's?

4) The yearly map pack argument is valid but I don't see how it applies here. If you get a game for your money then adding stuff later is just that and you don't have to buy it or indeed the game. Plus if you're really tight just wait 12 months, get it cheaper and complete as a GOTY edition or something.

[bobhope2005]

I have to disagree slightly with point 3. Look at Candy Crush / Flappy Bird etc. Massive money makers but not necessarily high 'quality' in the gaming sense. But goes to show that playability is still just as important as graphics etc. Plenty of high budget games have had shocking playability and bombed on release. I still think people are more interested in new and interesting ways of playing, games that have a decent storyline and new interaction rather than just the same old first person shooter just with different clothes for the bad guys and different scenery.

[Shahman]

Makes sense, there's been no point getting a UBI game through Steam for a while, just annoying with double DRM/launch.

Bought Farcry $ through Origins and only need to run uplay to play. Would that not be case with steam? Dont have any Ubisoft games on steam so cant tell.

[Biscuit]

Bought Farcry $ through Origins and only need to run uplay to play. Would that not be case with steam? Dont have any Ubisoft games on steam so cant tell.

You need both if you order Ubisoft games through Steam.