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[publicpwnerer]

I'm pretty conflicted. I personally hate Uplay, but when it comes to HoMM etc, I really feel like I should be supporting the IP, rather than shitting on UBI / Uplay.

I'm tempted to buy Far Cry 4 on console...but the PC version will be far superior, control / graphics wise. Considering 3 ran pretty well on my system, it's a tough decision.

 

[mephixto]

Well no money from me, I can't recall the last time I opened Origin to play BF4 and that was the last game I bought from EA.

 

[Kevin]

Ubisoft has gotten to be the worse game company I have ever seen. Making EA looks amazing by comparison (not even hyperbole). I will no longer be supporting this company and their games. This crap is getting ridiculous now. It's something new with them every week. Shotty ports, downgraded visuals on their games, horrible PR speeches and now they are skipping Seam and going the route EA took it seems.

 

[pastrami]

Yeah... except they're still selling games on Origin.

I don't think the number of Ubisoft games being sold on EA is of any real consequence.

Because the best way to compete with a superior service is clearly to pack up your shit and leave rather than make Uplay a good alternative that people decide to use on their own.

I don't think you understand what a monopoly is. If Steam is a monopoly in some sense, it's a de facto monopoly which is very different than a real one.

Everyone understands why they're doing it. The issue is that Uplay is a worse solution than Steam in virtually every way so consumers are paying the price, as usual.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Steam is fantastic. In fact, other than Starcraft, I don't buy games that aren't on Steam or ones that require third party software. I just don't get why everyone is so upset at this move. It's obvious that Ubisoft wants a bigger slice of the digital distribution pie, so why wouldn't it be natural for them to pull their games from the biggest player in the field right now?

Besides, Ubisoft games require UPlay anyways. Just add the game to your Steam library and other than actually purchasing the game on Steam, everything should largely function the same as it does now.

 

[Denton]

Not sure if mentioned already, but Ubisoft just updated uplay to make it more like Steam:

Uplay PC - Client Update 4.9

Hello Uplay Gamers,

The next Uplay client update is here and in it we're bringing more of those features you have been asking for. Starting today you can now minimize your client to the system tray and apply automatic client updates while Uplay is running. Read on for more information.

New Features

Discreet Client

This latest update allows players to minimize and close Uplay to the system tray. With Uplay running discreetly in the background you'll never be more than a few clicks away from accessing your favourite Uplay games, be they through Uplay itself or Steam. When you want to launch a game, that's what will happen. No more prompts, just straight into the game.

Of course we don't want you to miss anything while it's minimized to the tray either, so you will receive notifications anytime something important happens, such as Friends coming online and downloads completing.

We haven't stopped there however, by right clicking the icon in the system tray you will have quick and easy access to many of Uplay's features and shortcuts to your most recently played games.

By default, Uplay will be minimized to the system tray but in addition to that, closing the client for the first time after updating to version 4.9 will present you with an option to minimize Uplay to the system tray instead of closing it.

You can disable this functionality at any time by heading over to the Uplay client settings menu and unchecking the boxes that say "Minimize Uplay to system tray when the application window is closed".

If at any point you do wish to close the client after this, simply right click the Uplay icon in the system tray and click on "Quit".

Background Uplay Client Updates

With the launch of the Minimize to Tray feature we're also going to be adding background updating functionality for the Uplay client. While running on your computer the Uplay client will now silently download and update itself and once completed you will be prompted to restart your client. Don't worry though, the prompt to restart the client will wait until you have finished playing, so it won't disturb your gaming time.

The background client update is just the first step towards something bigger, so look out for more information in the coming months.

Change for Steam players

We're continuing to make big changes for our Steam players. Alongside the last update which allows you to automatically log in with Steam, you will now see all of your other Steam purchased Uplay games in the Uplay client when launching a game from Steam, making it easier to find the content you own.

Bug Fixes

A massive effort has gone into fixing various bugs in the client. Below are but a few that players should expect to notice as being resolved:

Play/Download buttons will no longer be shown for add-ons that the player does not owned
When searching for friends, "No matches were found" is not shown unless the player presses the "Enter" key
Messages in chat from the application will now be synced with the overlay when receiving a message and then entering a game immediately after

That's it from us on this occasion, but keep your eyes peeled for future updates and as always, if you have any feedback you think we should know about, lets us know on our forums.

The Uplay Team

 

[Bizzquik]

I'm angry at Ubisoft, just as I'm still angry with Electronic Arts.

But c'mon, Valve, you gotta get off this 30% figure. Its ridiculously high.
Call it 20% if a company achieves a certain volume of sales on your service and lets get EA and Ubi back on Steam - where they should be.

 

[flaxknuckles]

I don't think the number of Ubisoft games being sold on EA is of any real consequence.



Don't get me wrong, I think that Steam is fantastic. In fact, other than Starcraft, I don't buy games that aren't on Steam or ones that require third party software. I just don't get why everyone is so upset at this move. It's obvious that Ubisoft wants a bigger slice of the digital distribution pie, so why wouldn't it be natural for them to pull their games from the biggest player in the field right now?

Besides, Ubisoft games require UPlay anyways. Just add the game to your Steam library and other than actually purchasing the game on Steam, everything should largely function the same as it does now.

Nah bro, Ubisoft and EA are fucking up my controller-only Steam Big Picture mode PC gaming living-room setup with all this shit. Put your games on Steam with no other DRM or fuck off

 

[Fuz]

DRM Free isn't happening because of piracy.

Yeah, because DRM has done so much to stop piracy, didn't it?
Piracy has always been a false problem and an easy scapegoat.

Steam doesn't have a monopoly and will not have a monopoly while it operates as it does. By definition it is not a monopoly since PC games can still be made, purchased and distributed outside of Steam - many of which hundreds of thousands use.

Would I rather use Steam because it is far and away the best service I have used in the past 10 years - yes.

Am I supporting a "monopoly" because of that decision and my decision to not use services that are both inconsistent, over priced and provide broken products - No.

What other services do I support - Blizzard, GoG, Humble, Stand alone stuff eg Minecraft, Planetside 2, LoL, RPG Maker Games such as OFF etc etc

steam is not technically a monopoly but it is "de facto".
Many people identify pc gaming with steam. There are games I can't play because they're on steam (and I'm pretty strong on the "vote with your wallet" thing). Developers are forced to release on steam for the exposure. And so on.

Conversely, if you are that serious about the issue, you can always download the games and crack the exe. Many games actually have the ability to be run completely independently from Steam as well.

Again, I'm very strong on wallet voting. I'm not gonna support a system I don't like with my money.
And sure as hell I won't go cracking an original game. Apart from all the hassle (the hassle is always on the legit customer), it's also illegal. No thanks.

 

[Mass Effect]

Fuck, it's happening...

 

[epmode]

Change for Steam players

We're continuing to make big changes for our Steam players. Alongside the last update which allows you to automatically log in with Steam, you will now see all of your other Steam purchased Uplay games in the Uplay client when launching a game from Steam, making it easier to find the content you own.

implies that this was a mistake?

I'm angry at Ubisoft, just as I'm still angry with Electronic Arts.

But c'mon, Valve, you gotta get off this 30% figure. Its ridiculously high.
Call it 20% if a company achieves a certain volume of sales on your service and lets get EA and Ubi back on Steam - where they should be.

High or not, it's still the same across virtually every digital distribution site, including the ones that are still selling Ubi's upcoming games.

(and even with the 30% cut, publishers still make a hell a lot more on a Steam sale than a retail sale)

 

[pastrami]

Nah bro, Ubisoft and EA are fucking up my controller-only STeam Big Picture mode PC gaming living-room setup with all this shit. Put your games on Steam with no other DRM or fuck off

So...uh...what exactly do you do now for Ubisoft games that use UPlay...

I can't tell if this is a joke or not.

 

[exmachina64]

I doubt that is what happened though, unless you're privy to information we don't have?

No, just hypothetical.

Why would they have bothered to put the games on Steam, let people wishlist them, etc., unless the decision to sell on Steam happened recently?

 

[flaxknuckles]

So...uh...what exactly do you do now for Ubisoft games that use UPlay...

I can't tell if this is a joke or not.

Just because I have some Ubisoft Uplay games in my library doesn't negate my point. And I only got 99% of those because they came for free with graphics card purchases. What are you you talking about?

 

[pastrami]

Just because I have some Ubisoft Uplay games in my library doesn't negate my point. And I only got those because they came for free with graphics card purchases. What are you you talking about?

I'm confused as to what point you are making. Are you talking about the topic at hand, or is this some tangent about EA and Ubisoft's games as a whole? Because the topic is about Ubisoft possibly pulling their games from Steam, not about whether or not EA and Ubisoft's games function well with Steam Big Picture mode.

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I just don't want a future with each publisher having their own store and client,

I don't see how it can be avoided as long as each store owner demands a "cut" of the sales from other companies games. There's simply too much money at stake. If consoles ever start to truly wane, PC gaming will be more important than ever, and no company wants to be forever stuck paying some other company 30% of every game they sell. From their point of view, there's no reason not to at least try to go it alone and keep all their money for themselves.

It's just like Applepay. People wonder why stores aren't lining up to support the service but in the end it just means more fees and higher prices and there is a shit-ton of money to be made so other e-payment players are not going to just roll over and give up the market without a fight. Why should they?

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

But c'mon, Valve, you gotta get off this 30% figure. Its ridiculously high.

It really isn't.

Out of interest what do you think Apples cut from IOS sales are?
Or Sony, Microsoft and Nintendos cut just to put a game on their console?

EDIT:

no company wants to be forever stuck paying some other company 30% of every game they sell.

If that's how Ubisoft are viewing this, then they're being as stupid as they are when they see piracy rates and assume every pirated copy is a lost sale.

What they should actually be thinking is that they are getting 70% of every stickerprice sale.

That's a lot better than the 45% they make on every retail sale.

 

[epmode]

I don't see how it can be avoided as long as each store owner demands a "cut" of the sales from other companies games. There's simply too much money at stake. If consoles ever start to truly wane, PC gaming will be more important than ever, and no company wants to be forever stuck paying some other company 30% of every game they sell. From their point of view, there's no reason not to at least try to go it alone and keep all their money for themselves.

It's just like Applepay. People wonder why stores aren't lining up to support the service but in the end it just means more fees and higher prices and there is a shit-ton of money to be made so other e-payment players are not going to just roll over and give up the market without a fight. Why should they?

Because their alternatives are fucking terrible. I understand why a company would want to do this. It's also my right to complain when a move focused more at a publisher's bottom line negatively affects me. If enough people complain and do not play along, Steam releases will resume.

 

[Nzyme32]

steam is not technically a monopoly but it is "de facto".
Many people identify pc gaming with steam. There are games I can't play because they're on steam (and I'm pretty strong on the "vote with your wallet" thing). Developers are forced to release on steam for the exposure. And so on.

Can't I say this about the PS4 as well?

"PS4 is not technically a monopoly but it is "de facto".
Many people identify console gaming with PS4. There are games I can't play because they're on PS4. Developers are forced to release on PS4 for the exposure. And so on." It's about the same.

If you are a PC gamer, you do not associate it with just Steam. Clients are not the heart of PC gaming. There are plenty of clients I use other than Steam for games not on Steam. The fact that I support Steam most and that it is popular with many, is because it is a fantasitic service. Why should they be blamed for the lacklustre offerings of others while keeping their own happy? On top of the fact that, on an open platform, they provide better services to developers and publishers as well?

 

[HariKari]

So... is Ubisoft going to remove these titles from all stores or is this just straight collusion against Valve?

 

[flaxknuckles]

I'm confused as to what point you are making. Are you talking about the topic at hand, or is this some tangent about EA and Ubisoft's games as a whole? Because the topic is about Ubisoft possibly pulling their games from Steam, not about whether or not EA and Ubisoft's games function well with Steam Big Picture mode.

If they pull their games from Steam then I have to get out of Steam Big Picture Mode to buy them and add them to my Steam library and then hope that their crap will work with BPM (which it didn't as of a few weeks ago). It's annoying because I have to keep breaking out the keyboard & mouse in my living room.

 

[10k]

Steam is becoming less attractive with the loss of EA and now Ubisoft.

But I expected this. Surprised it took Ubi this long to make their PC games exclusive to uPlay to control the content and get better cuts.


Edit: and with rumors that WB wants to launch their own service and square launching their own, all that will be left is Activision, Capcom, Sega and 2k.

 

[Bizzquik]

It really isn't.

Out of interest what do you think Apples cut from IOS sales are?
Or Sony, Microsoft and Nintendos cut just to put a game on their console?

20% Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft.
60% to publisher, 20% retailer, 20% console maker.

This is known.

 

[Zoned]

20% Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft.
60% to publisher, 20% retailer, 20% console maker.

This is known.

What about digital copies?

 

[Human_me]

I just want Far Cry 4 on steam.
Is this so hard to ask for?

 

[epmode]

Can't I say this about the PS4 as well?

"PS4 is not technically a monopoly but it is "de facto".

No. You can say that Sony has a monopoly on digital PS4 sales. Because it's true. Valve does not have a monopoly on digital PC sales as this thread makes very clear.

 

[xGreg]

But c'mon, Valve, you gotta get off this 30% figure. Its ridiculously high.
Call it 20% if a company achieves a certain volume of sales on your service and lets get EA and Ubi back on Steam - where they should be.

If you compare it with the retail market, It's not high at all.

Edit. Beaten.

 

[Chris R]

Makes the decision to cancel my PS4 Unity preorder much easier to stick to now.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Ubisoft, go fuck yourself. Outside of The Division and FC, you can die for all I care.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

20% Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft.
60% to publisher, 20% retailer, 20% console maker.

This is known.

So selling a console game earns them 60% of the sticker price.
Selling a game on steam earns them 70% of the sticker price.

So... they make more on Steam.

 

[DrSlek]

I'm angry at Ubisoft, just as I'm still angry with Electronic Arts.

But c'mon, Valve, you gotta get off this 30% figure. Its ridiculously high.
Call it 20% if a company achieves a certain volume of sales on your service and lets get EA and Ubi back on Steam - where they should be.

High compared to what? Not the retail market, certainly....

 

[HariKari]

Steam is becoming less attractive with the loss of EA and now Ubisoft.

Or, put another way: EA and Ubisoft titles are now less attractive because they're not on Steam.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I have a pre-order on Origin, what the fuck am I going to do when they pull it there? No refund? No nothing?

 

[pastrami]

If they pull their games from Steam then I have to get out of Steam Big Picture Mode to buy them and add them to my Steam library and then hope that their crap will work with BPM (which it didn't as of a few weeks ago). It's annoying because I have to keep breaking out the keyboard & mouse in my living room.

I'm still confused. If I add something to my Steam library, I see it in Big Picture mode. Or are you saying that if you launch an Ubisoft game through Big Picture mode, you don't have to go through UPlay?

 

[gspec]

But you can't even get EA and Ubisoft games on Steam anymore. Now that's 100% restriction. I was playing Ubisoft games even with uplay on steam. This restriction is only applied because greedy EA and Ubisoft didn't want valve getting any money.

EA wanted access to steam's user information (data) and valve said no. That is the main reason EA pulled their games. Why Ubisoft is doing it I don't know.

 

[darkside31337]

It really isn't.

Out of interest what do you think Apples cut from IOS sales are?
Or Sony, Microsoft and Nintendos cut just to put a game on their console?

The thing is on those platforms they have to abide by the rules those platform holders set.

They don't have to do that on PC. If they really are choosing to pass on Valve I am sure folks at Ubisoft looked at data and came to the conclusion that could make more money doing this.

 

[d1rtn4p]

Or, put another way: EA and Ubisoft titles are now less attractive because they're not on Steam.

That's the way I see it heh

 

[Zafir]

No, just hypothetical.

Why would they have bothered to put the games on Steam, let people wishlist them, etc., unless the decision to sell on Steam happened recently?

It makes no sense to start integrating better with Steam, ie Watchdogs being able to launch from Steam without having uplay stay open, etc. Then deciding to pull it. Not to mention, the fact they haven't just removed it and left Steam, and instead been messing around with the game subs on steam suggests that it isn't a cut and dried decision to leave Steam.

It doesn't add up, at all.

I'd also argue, if they were ditching Steam. They'd leave the current games up, and just not bother releasing any more on Steam in the future. Instead of pulling when they've already got a Steam release sorted.

 

[epmode]

I have a pre-order on Origin, what the fuck am I going to do when they pull it there? No refund? No nothing?

It's very possible that they won't pull the game from Origin. Remember, EA still sells their games on competing services even though they haven't released a Steam game in years.

EA wanted access to steam's user information (data) and valve said no. That is the main reason EA pulled their games.

Do you have a source for that?

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Out of interest what do you think Apples cut from IOS sales are?
Or Sony, Microsoft and Nintendos cut just to put a game on their console?

Yeah, and game publishers hate paying those fees too. They just don't have a choice on those platforms. Since the PC is open they don't HAVE to pay anybody.

That's a lot better than the 45% they make on every retail sale.

But on PC they could be making 100%! Retail is dying. Digital distribution is the future, after all so those comparisons are having less and less weight.

I'm just being devil's advocate here.

 

[Grief.exe]

Again, I'm very strong on wallet voting. I'm not gonna support a system I don't like with my money.
And sure as hell I won't go cracking an original game. Apart from all the hassle (the hassle is always on the legit customer), it's also illegal. No thanks.

How would cracking an exe be illegal? You own the content, you own the computer.

 

[HowZatOZ]

I'm angry at Ubisoft, just as I'm still angry with Electronic Arts.

But c'mon, Valve, you gotta get off this 30% figure. Its ridiculously high.
Call it 20% if a company achieves a certain volume of sales on your service and lets get EA and Ubi back on Steam - where they should be.

30% is the standard in the industry, asking just Valve to change it is stupid.

 

[whyman]

Or, put another way: EA and Ubisoft titles are now less attractive because they're not on Steam.

I agree. If Origin and Uplay didnt exist and all games were on steam I would actually buy them. Some Ubi and EA games are pretty damn fun.

 

[Zoned]

EA wanted access to steam's user information (data) and valve said no. That is the main reason EA pulled their games. Why Ubisoft is doing it I don't know.

Naa they wanted to sell DLC's without valve getting in between, which of course violated Steam's rules.

 

[jailbird20022]

Ubi keeps digging that hole, like they haven't irritated the PC community enough already with their outrageous min. requirements to overcome bad optimization and then have them put up with uplay.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I don't mind Origin as much as UPlay. Uplay's updating system is so fucking awful compared to Origin and Steam. Steam and Origin also have legit friend/joining-games support.

I think FC4 will be the last game I buy from Ubisoft.

I'm sure this has been answered, but what of the people who pre-ordered on Steam?

 

[flaxknuckles]

I'm still confused. If I add something to my Steam library, I see it in Big Picture mode. Or are you saying that if you launch an Ubisoft game through Big Picture mode, you don't have to go through UPlay?

The point is the only time I want to have to get out of BPM on my living room PC is to install Windows updates and having to add a game to Steam is annoying as hell because I have to WHATEVR fill in the blanks man

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

But on PC they could be making 100%! Retail is dying. Digital distribution is the future, after all so those comparisons are having less and less weight.

I'm just being devil's advocate here.

Yes, you're probably expressing exactly what the people in charge of this decision were thinking.
I drew comparisons to Ubisofts thoughts about piracy being a 1:1 lost sale, because many PC gamers remember their always online DRM that was result of that decision.

EA at least had some unsquandered Battlefield goodwill left amongst PC gamers, and of course the behemoth franchise that is The Sims when they launched Origin.

Ubisoft have a history of shit ports, delayed PC releases, and fuck-you-in-the-ass DRM.

Let's see how this goes for them.

 

[ClearData]

Does Ubisoft really think Origin will make up for forgoing Steam? That's the only reason I think they might be going it alone.

 

[Oublieux]

As much as I love Steam, I welcome the competition. Honestly, I am okay with Uplay and Origin; I actually consider the latter less user friendly though--the Origin framework is terrible for customers who are abroad as the store language is locked to the country's language via IP.

 

[deleted]

I can't see them being as successful with this strategy as they would be with a 30% cut and steam.

They'll be back.