An executive at Assassin’s Creed maker Ubisoft said players will need to feel “comfortable” not owning their games before video game subscriptions actually kick in.
Speaking to discuss the launch of Ubisoft’s new Ubisoft+ Premium and Ubisoft+ Classics subscriptions, Philippe Tremblay, Director of Subscriptions at Ubisoft, explained to GI.biz what needs to happen before subscription services become a more important segment of the video game business.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but when you look at the different subscription services out there, we’ve seen rapid expansion over the last couple of years, but it’s still relatively small compared to other models.” Tremblay said.
“We’re seeing expansion on console as the likes of PlayStation and Xbox bring in new people. On PC, from a Ubisoft point of view, it’s been really great, but we’re looking to connect more on PC, so we see an opportunity there.
“One of the things we’ve seen is that gamers are used to owning their games and owning them, just like DVDs. That’s a shift that’s had to happen for the consumer. They’ve gotten comfortable with not having their own CD collection or DVD collection. That’s a shift that’s been a little bit slower to happen.” (In games). As players feel comfortable with that aspect… you don’t lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. It’s not deleted. You don’t lose what you’ve built in the game or your interaction With her, it’s about feeling comfortable not having your own toy.
“I still have a couple of boxes of DVDs. I definitely understand the gamers’ point of view on that. But as people embrace this model, they’ll see that these games will be there, the service will continue, and I’ll be able to access them when I feel like it. That’s reassuring.”
“Streaming is also something that works well with a subscription. So you pay when you need to, rather than all the time.”
It’s fair to say that Tremblay’s comments didn’t sit well with some gamers who prefer to buy their video games on disc rather than download or stream them. But it’s worth noting that Ubisoft, like many other video game publishers, still releases its games on disc, and while digital sales have grown as a portion of overall sales over the years, a significant portion of gamers still prefer to own their own games. games.
Tremblay’s comments also raise the issue of video game preservation. As more games go the digital route or rely on an internet connection to work, the risk of these games losing time when their servers are shut down also increases. Developer Remedy Entertainment has come under fire for releasing Alan Wake 2 as a digital-only video game that should be kept The price is less than $70.
The physical versus digital debate is sure to get louder as more publishers consider our perhaps inevitable digital future. in the last year, Leaked news From Microsoft’s plan to The slim version of the Xbox Series It shocked gamers because it stated that the device would not have a Blu-ray drive. As Xbox head Phil Spencer said at the time, those plans may have changed.
Wesley is IGN’s UK news editor. You can find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.