Ubisoft Dumps Online Pass System

Ubisoft is dumping its Uplay Passport program for all future games, the publisher has announced.

The Online Pass system required those that bought the game second-hand to spend another $10 to access locked off features.

However, just like EA in May of this year, that system is now being ditched. Ubisoft has announced that the system is now being abandoned, and free passes will also be provided to owners of the recently released Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.

Uplay and ACIV: Black Flag made headlines recently, for blocking off single-player content for those without an Online Pass, a move that many felt went too far.

“In Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, ‘Edward's Fleet’ is an innovative online single player feature that allows players to interact with multiple players on consoles or via the game's companion app,” Ubisoft has said in a statement released overnight.

“Every new copy of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag includes the Uplay Passport code needed to unlock this online feature. However, we listen to our community and understand that there are concerns over some players' ability to access this feature, so we have decided to eliminate the cost of the Uplay Passport for Black Flag.

“This ensures that everyone will be able to use the companion app, Edward's Fleet, online multiplayer and available bonus content at no additional cost.”

“Also, we will be eliminating the Uplay Passport program from all future Ubisoft games moving forward.”

I don't know about anyone else but I feel like the gaming community is being listened to more recently by the gaming devs etc. yeah they will probably find another way to get money from us soon but at the moment it is nice to feel the gamers are getting listened to on the products we want etc

minkey_monkey wrote:I don't know about anyone else but I feel like the gaming community is being listened to more recently by the gaming devs etc. yeah they will probably find another way to get money from us soon but at the moment it is nice to feel the gamers are getting listened to on the products we want etc

not sure

I reckon these twats and those at EA have worked out that the cost for having this online pass cock is not being met by the revenue it has generated or if it has then certainly not enough to offset the lost sales and bad taste

With Blockcockbusters and the local games shops dying out the second hand market has lost a main source of trade too

I think they smell micropayment as their fleecing future

There is no way on God's green earth that these publishers are ever going to look at putting the gamer first before profit imho

Freemium and micro transaction based games are proving to be an unprofitable and in some cases unpopular route.

some good examples are Microsoft flight which was shut down in less than a year and C&C Generals 2 which has just been canned as fans complained they want it to be a full retail game not a Freemium game it was being built to be so now they get neither  (just to point out generals was my favourite strategy game)

If i had to guess i would say the next stage could be to include a one time use activation code similar to the way pc games are (and have been for the past ten years) or to focus on digital distribution only as both these would ruin the second hand market

that's probably right riled matey


if everything is bought via a download then its a piece of piss to wipe out secondhand by tying the download to the console its purchased on

Lots of reasons why this removal of online pass is happening, but being kind to us is certainly not one of them