Recently, news broke of Ubisoft decommissioning several of its online services and DLC support for a handful of games, with the belief that Assassin's Creed: LiberationHD would no longer be available drawing the most attention. Understandably, the news caused uproar among fans who took the announcement to mean that even if content had been bought and paid for, it would be rendered unplayable regardless. What further compounded the issue was a notice on Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD official steam page, only shortly after Ubisoft's 15th Anniversary celebration of the series, that stated services would be discontinued by fall this year.
What followed was Ubisoft conducting damage control as Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD was review-bombed on Steam, with the company confirming that players need not be worried as they would still be able to play their games, as only the online services would no longer be available for said games. While fears might have been assuaged, the recent ordeal does highlight how studios like Ubisoft must be clear and concise when handling news that could have a significant impact on its games, especially for series as prominent and popular as Assassin's Creed.
What Went Wrong
Ubisoft's original announcement of decommissioned services came in early July this year, with other titles losing online services including several other early Assassin's Creed games as well as other titles such as Far Cry 3's 2012 release and Rayman Legends. Though this might be distressing to some players, it's become a fairly standard procedure within the gaming industry, where older titles see online support being culled due to a lack of interest or profitability in the games. While some base games can still be played without online services, for other games that rely upon online support through multiplayer or DLC, this can often be a death sentence.
This is why many players were worried for Liberation HD and less so other Assassin's Creed titles, especially when its official Steam page quietly delisted the game with the aforementioned notice that at the request of the developer, Ubisoft, the game would be no longer available. This was later amended following backlash from players who spammed the steam page with negative reviews in protest. As a result, Ubisoft, and by extension Steam, amended this notice to say that the game's online services would be unavailable following September 1, but that it would remain purchasable and playable.
What Can Be Learned From This
Two takeaways come forward from this situation: one, that it was inevitable for older games like Assassin's Creed Liberation HD to eventually be decommissioned, and two, that Ubisoft should have been aware of the impact this would have on the larger gaming community. For a large game development company that hosts some of the biggest franchises like Far Cry and Watch Dogs, it should be expected that Ubisoft would have been able to work out an effective strategy to achieve its goal with as little disruption or backlash as possible. Timing, for example, would be one thing to consider, as well as communication to the public.
Unfortunately this wasn't the case, and given Ubisoft's perceived reputation following reports of the company failing to address sexual harassment allegations last year, a situation like this has not helped to improve public opinion. But while Ubisoft's backtracking might reflect unfavorably on itself, this situation is a useful lesson should studios find themselves in a similar position with their own games. Firstly, it's important to be clear about whether games will be available or not, even if clarity comes with the cost of blunt honesty. Secondly, it's equally important to be aware of the consequences such decisions could have, and what would be best to mitigate the impact of these consequences.
Ubisoft's mixed messaging surrounding Liberation HD early on has caused more damage than good, leaving many players unsure if they will still have access to the game, or if they would need alternative means to access it, such as the original physical release for PS Vita or by purchasing Assassin's Creed III Remastered. The negative reviews on Liberation HD are still up at the time of writing, leaving a regrettable tainted legacy for a game that was initially well-received upon release. Whether Ubisoft will learn from its mistakes remains to be seen, but at least other studios should be taking notes on what not to do.
Assassin's Creed Liberation Remastered is available as part of Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
