Ubisoft wants to be better at PC games

By Brenna Hillier

Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry are as popular among PC gamers as their console brethren, but Ubisoft? Less so. The publisher hopes to change that.

Ubisoft has a troubled history with PC gaming. A couple of years ago it was hugely unpopular thanks to its use of always-on DRM, and its tendency to let the PC release of games lag behind the console versions.

The publisher has been laudably changing its approach in more recent times, dropping the DRM and bringing PC release dates closer and closer to consoles, and it deserves praise for that. But it’s still copping flack for the quality of its PC ports, the flakiness of Uplay servers at launch, and the hassle of the Uplay client.

Speaking to MCV, Ubisoft executive Alain Corre acknowledged that there’s still work to be done, and Ubisoft wants to do it.

“We recognise the importance and needs of PC gamers, and want to continue to improve how we create and support games for PC,” he said.

“We listen to feedback from players and continue to adapt accordingly.”

Examples include the switch to one-time activation DRM, and more parity in release dates.

“Assassin’s Creed Unity and Far Cry 4, for example, will be released simultaneously on console and PC, and this will continue to be the goal for all our major titles,” Corre said.

“Finally, we are committed to improving the optimisation of our games for each platform on which they’re released – including PC.”

Corre said PC gamers make up an increasing portion of Ubisoft’s consumer base, growing from 11% in the 2012-2013 financial year to 15% in the 2013-2014 financial year.

“Which is an indication of the progress we’re making,” he added.