As per the sources, it states that everyone was aware of trade-offs when games began moving from physical to digital formats. Although quicker and more practical, digital downloads meant that you were only partially in possession of the game you had paid for. We were merely leasing it, which left us open to the whims and potential insolvency of the firm that created it. Those issues used to be perceived as remote edge cases. Now that they are happening live, Ubisoft is at the epicenter of the chaos.
The online DLC and multiplayer servers for nearly a dozen titles will be eliminated later this year, the French publisher revealed last week. In addition to that, approximately 100 Ubisoft games have already lost access to some type of online feature. The creator of Far Cry has now disclosed that this widespread “decommissioning” of content extends even further, with Steam players losing access to a full single-player Assassin’s Creed game they already own.
Ubisoft is making a precedent on Steam as Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD will not be accessible following September 1st, 2022. Even if you already bought it, a bar new low for consumers. pic.twitter.com/hRmmb2yM3w
— Nors3.eth (@Nors3) July 10, 2022
Assassin’s Creed: Liberation’s Steam page now features the following updated warning, as noticed by Twitter user Nors3: “At the request of the publisher, Assassin’s Creed® Liberation HD is no longer available for sale on Steam. Please note this title will not be accessible following September 1st, 2022.” As per SteamDB, we came to know that the game was just a few weeks ago offered at a 75 percent discount as part of the most recent Steam Summer sale, and some gamers have resorted to review-bombing the listing to express their annoyance.
Similar announcements have appeared for a number of other Ubisoft games, including Space Junkies and Silent Hunter 5: Battle. The cautions for Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands only apply to their deluxe versions and DLC, though in the case of Forgotten Sands, that also contains a digital version of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
If this was a mistake or an oversight, Valve and Ubisoft did not immediately react to a request for comment. However, Ubisoft attempted to connect this incident to its larger online server decommissioning campaign. As per the sources, Ubisoft said in a statement that the online services for older Ubisoft games will be discontinued on September 1, 2022. They don’t take this decision lightly. Their teams are presently evaluating all options for gamers who may be impacted by this decision.
But in the case of Assassin’s Creed: Liberation, users are also losing access to the single-player campaign. Players take on the role of Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans following the French and Indian War in the 2012 Assassin’s Creed III spin-off. It introduced the first female protagonist of the series and was initially a PS Vita exclusive.
Two years later, a console and PC version with HD support was released, and it has been accessible there ever since. The only way Steam customers will reportedly still be able to get it via Valve’s storefront is as a free add-on for Assassins’ Creed III’s 2019 remaster, even though it is still accessible through the publisher’s Ubisoft Connect client.
We also came to know from the sources that the removal of games from multiple retailers has become relatively routine. In certain situations, like the crossover anime fighter Jump Force from Bandai Namco, it’s due to expired licensing arrangements. Others, like the recent removal of older Grand Theft Auto titles, are the result of the publisher’s desire to replace them with newer versions. Players who lose official access to cherished and occasionally even classic games may suffer a great loss in either scenario.
Furthermore, the situation with Assassin’s Creed: Liberation on Steam seems to be a step closer to the preservationist nightmare. The game is no longer available for standalone purchase, and it appears that users’ Steam libraries will also soon be empty. The life of Assassin’s Creed: Liberation on Steam didn’t even last ten years, proving that nothing lasts forever.
