It is quite possible that all future Ubisoft projects will also not be released on Steam.
The Division 2
Today, on January 9, it became known about the conclusion of a deal between Ubisoft and Epic Games.
According to her, the PC version of the spring blockbuster The Division 2 will not only be released in Uplay, the Ubisoft platform, but will also appear on the shelves of the Epic Games Store. At the same time, information appeared that the new game would not be released on Steam, where all the projects of the French company had previously appeared.
It is not yet completely clear whether this practice will extend to all upcoming Ubisoft projects. Now it is only stated that other titles of the company will be named throughout the year, which will appear on the Epic site. The terms of their placement and their exclusivity are likely to largely depend on the sales of The Division 2 on the Epic Games Store.
The news is a big blow for Steam. Until recently, Ubisoft remained one of the few gaming companies of the conditional first league, whose main PC sales were through Steam. Most of the other giants have gone to their own distribution sites. Valve, by the way, responded Ubisoft “reciprocated”. The French regularly received a major feature on Steam. The latter certainly helped with sales.
According to the results of recent years, Ubisoft’s novelties have traditionally been among the best-selling titles of the site. For example, of the 12 most earning games of 2018 on Steam, three were developed and published by Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and Far Cry 5).
Ubisoft is not the first of the gaming teams who refused to work with Steam in favor of the Epic Games Store. Previously, similar solutions were reported by companies such as Team17, Double Damage Games and Coffee Stain Studios.