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Ubisoft has updated its subscription model, and said consumers need to be “comfortable with not owning [their] game”.
Ubisoft+ will now feature two revised tiers. Ubisoft+ Premium (£14.99/$17.99 per month) will include all new releases and – in some cases – early access to games alongside premium editions, monthly rewards and more. Ubisoft+ Classics on PC, meanwhile, is a brand new curated selection of popular back-catalogue and live games (£6.99/$7.99 per month).
Director of subscription Philippe Tremblay told GamesIndustry.biz there is “tremendous opportunity for growth” for subscription models, but the mindset of consumers needs to change.
“One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That’s the consumer shift that needs to happen,” he said.
“They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That’s a transformation that’s been a bit slower to happen [in games]. As gamers grow comfortable in that aspect… you don’t lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. That’s not been deleted. You don’t lose what you’ve built in the game or your engagement with the game. So it’s about feeling comfortable with not owning your game.”
He added: “I still have two boxes of DVDs. I definitely understand the gamers perspective with that. But as people embrace that model, they will see that these games will exist, the service will continue, and you’ll be able to access them when you feel like. That’s reassuring.”
The amendments to the Ubisoft+ subscription are off the back of analysing consumer behaviour, after which “we saw an opportunity for us to evolve,” said Tremblay.
“When we look at how gamers engage with our different games, we see that our back catalogue is still very active and alive. So we saw an opportunity to offer these worlds to our consumers for a lower fee. And this is a response to the behaviour that we saw from players.”
Over the past four years, the company has seen “millions” of subscribers according to Tremblay – some sign up for one game for a month or two, while others stay for longer.
“There are multiple behaviours,” he said. “There are definitely a lot of people who come in for one game and then decide to buy it after [the subscription ends]. That’s part of the reality and that’s ok with us.”
In an interview on the Ubisoft blog detailing the new subscription tiers, Tremblay stated a subscription is a “great way to introduce our games to brand-new players” and “it really speaks to the model as a means to expand their horizons”.
To combat the churn of users unsubscribing, Ubisoft aims to build value. “We’ve made the commitment to bring more games to our subscribers,” said Tremblay. “So, looking into the future, we have an exciting lineup that they’ll be able to play either in early access or on day one, and then we’ll eventually have the Activision Blizzard catalogue, too. Alongside the perks and our rich, diverse back catalogue, we believe we’re offering a compelling reason for our players to stick around.”
Microsoft sold the streaming rights of Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft to ensure its $68.7bn acquisition was successful.
Ubisoft’s latest release, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, is available now on the subscription ahead of its general release. The metroidvania game is the “ideal way to bring gaming’s original Prince back to life,” reads our review.
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