Ubisoft has made some seemingly contradictory claims regarding what makes a game fun, in its latest earnings report. The publisher, which is best known for its Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy franchises, has not always been viewed in a positive light when it comes to the treatment of players of its games. This year, it has received criticism for shutting down servers for The Crew and revoking player licenses, leaving those who purchased the online-only game without a means to continue playing it. This has resulted in a class action lawsuit being filed against Ubisoft, where the plaintiffs pointed to the packaging for the game, stating that licenses (per Polygon) would be active until 2099.
There were also controversial details surrounding Assassin’s Creed Shadows, including historical inaccuracies and issues regarding its main character, plus being released on March 20th, the 30th anniversary of the Tokyo subway Sarin attack, which also coincided with the nation’s Vernal Equinox holiday. A day one update (per PCGamesN) for the game also removed the ability to destroy items at sacred shrines, something Japan’s parliament was reportedly looking into legal alternatives to do. Meanwhile, Ubisoft is also one of many publishers that see a significant amount of gaming revenue created via microtransactions. According to a recent report from NewZoo (via TechSpot), up to 58% of gaming revenue comes from microtransactions, which ended up being just over $24 billion in 2024, nearly 2 1/2 times that made from actual game sales in the same year.
“At Ubisoft, the golden rule when developing premium
-Ubisoft
games is to allow players to enjoy the game in full without
having to spend more”
While the above statement seems innocent enough, it is somewhat countered in another that immediately follows. This one clearly hints that there’s a direct correlation between the amount of enjoyment one can have from a game and the ability to spend more on it after purchasing.
“Our monetization offer within premium
-Ubisoft
games makes the player experience more fun by allowing
them to personalize their avatars or progress more quickly,
however this is always optional”
Regardless of how anyone feels about microtransactions or Ubisoft, it is a fact that no publisher would continue to implement them if players were not supporting them with purchases. From cosmetic items, to unlockable characters or weapons and loot boxes, to “pay to play” models, there is an abundance of ways in which publishers have found additional revenue streams from gamers. As controversial as this practice has become, there’s no denying that “optional” doesn’t mean avoided as publishers such as Ubisoft pull in massive amounts of cash from players, and that perhaps it is accurate to say some find it more fun to spend more money as they game. After all, why continue to spend more money on something if you’re not enjoying doing so?