Game Services thread, v2: Ubisoft headline portends a darker gaming future

[Madmick]

EA is raising the price of its EA Play subscription as of May 10th

EA raising price of EA Play subscription

Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inboxElectronic Arts is increasing the price for…

www.gamesindustry.biz

Fingers crossed Game Pass doesn't follow suit because it includes EA Play, but after Core was introduced, making as little sense as it does at its price point, it's such a godawful value compared to the other tiers, I think we've all been waiting on that price hike.

 

[avenue94]

Fingers crossed Game Pass doesn't follow suit because it includes EA Play, but after Core was introduced, making as little sense as it does at its price point, it's such a godawful value compared to the other tiers, I think we've all been waiting on that price hike.

I dont see why Microsoft wouldn't raise the price of a service that bleeds money, unless they aren't comfortable with their market share and attach rate yet. It's the content steaming model.

 

[Madmick]

I dont see why Microsoft wouldn't raise the price of a service that bleeds money, unless they aren't comfortable with their market share and attach rate yet. It's the content steaming model.

Game Pass was already profitable by October 2022.

 

[Madmick]

This is actually one of the most important headlines I've seen in years. And it's not good. Incidentally, Ubisoft continues to offer the worst major service value in gaming, but that's a sideshow.

Star Wars Outlaws' Jabba the Hutt Mission Locked Behind Season Pass - IGN

Ubisoft has already come under fire for single-player game Star Wars Outlaws having a Season Pass, but fans are expressing frustration once again upon noticing its highly anticipated Jabba the Hutt mission is locked behind it.

www.ign.com

Ubisoft has already come under fire for single-player game Star Wars Outlaws having a Season Pass, but fans are expressing frustration once again upon noticing its highly anticipated Jabba the Hutt mission is locked behind it...

"Play the exclusive Jabba's Gambit mission at launch," the Season Pass explainer reads. "Just as Kay is putting together a crew for the Canto Bight heist, she receives a job from Jabba the Hutt himself. Turns out that ND-5 owes Jabba a debt from years ago, and he has come to collect"...

As reported by Spanish outlet Area Jugones, Ubisoft's website outlining the contents of the Season Pass —an optional extra to the $70 / £70 standard game so far only available through its $109.99 gold edition and even more expensive $129.99 ultimate edition — reveals it includes access to the Jabba's Gambit mission at launch.

It arrives August 27, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, with the $70 / £70 Standard Edition joined by the aforementioned $110 / £105 Gold Edition, which comes with three days of early access alongside the Season Pass.

An even more expensive, digital-only Ultimate Edition comes with both of these perks alongside cosmetics (the Rogue Infiltrator Bundle and the Sebacc Shark bundle) alongside a digital art book...

"And that's why you don't defend these sh**ty early access editions with arguments like, 'it's not taking anything away from other players, it's just to play a few days earlier'," Zephy said on ResetEra.

I don't care about a few days of early access. They did that with Starfield, and a bunch of people who were going to hate no matter what whined. I don't care about cosmetics or collectibles or any of that dumb shit. All meaningless. What I do care about is content. Real, actual gameplay content.

Real gameplay content is worth charging for. I totally get that. It's just that they used to only charge for expansion content at a later date when they expanded the game. With Starfield, at least, the "Shattered Space" expansion sold with the premium editions was only a pre-sale for an expansion that was to come later. Which still at least feels like what expansions always were. Content takes time and work to develop. You don't expect that for free even with a subscription.

What Ubisoft is doing here isn't that. They're creating different tiers of the game for sale at launch. I fear this is going to become the new standard. Yet another monetization scheme.

Relatedly, Ubisoft continues to offer the worst gaming service of the major companies. The value is atrocious. I just updated it in the OP, and the Ubisoft "Premium" library shrank from my last update: from 148 titles to 134 titles. Because they don't support aging titles, and now they're trying to piecemeal those off with a crappy lower "Classics" tier. Premium costs $18/mo which is more expensive than Game Pass Ultimate with less than 1/3rd of the games, no perks, no cloud streaming, and no stream of release day launches. They debuted it $15/mo years ago which was already laughable, but even that price tier for PC users who didn't want "multi-access" to console games has disappeared. $18 or bust for the real McCoy. And now even the premier games they release, which you'd think would be the main attractors for the service, are almost certainly going to be the nerfed baseline versions without access to special content like the Jabba the Hutt mission.

I wonder, then, if we can expect a new, super-expensive subscription plan for subscriptions services on the horizon that promise full access to all the content for services like Game Pass, PS Plus, Ubisoft, EA Play, and the rest. Just an insidiously clever upsell strategy.

 

[KaNesDeath]

What Ubisoft is doing here isn't that. They're creating different tiers of the game for sale at launch. I fear this is going to become the new standard. Yet another monetization scheme.

Assassins Creed Origins for its 2017 launch used this.

 

[Madmick]

Assassins Creed Origins for its 2017 launch used this.

Ubisoft+ didn't exist then.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Ubisoft+ didn't exist then.

Now i get what your saying. That the premium game edition is also available to subscribers.

This should be a win though. For subscribers are getting full content access. *Whole pricing model in relation to its value is a different topic.

 

[Madmick]

Now i get what your saying. That the premium game edition is also available to subscribers.

This should be a win though. For subscribers are getting full content access. *Whole pricing model in relation to its value is a different topic.

LOL, how is this a win? For who? The 12 guys out there who subscribe to Ubisoft+ Premium?

They're simply leveraging the different price-tiering of the game's editions with DLC content locked behind a paywall to entice people to subscribe to their increasingly shitty service. To do this with AC was bad enough, but now they're doing it with an IP they're leasing, and one that exists on their subscription service. As I'm grumpily forecasting, I don't trust it. This is just groundwork for all these services to create yet another, more "premium", higher-priced tier of their services that have complete access to the special editions of major games in the future.

Alternatively, if they don't elect to do this, it bodes that guys who don't subscribe to these services, who just want to buy the games outright, will find themselves staring down this model from all developers, not just infamously greedy bastards like Ubisoft. Because in order to validate the appeal of those services, they'll need to offer these "special" editions as a carrot, and so those who don't subscribe will suffer because the new normal will be the baseline $70 price offers incomplete content on launch day.

 

[KaNesDeath]

LOL, how is this a win?

If subscribed to a publisher/developer specific 'game pass'. One should get full access to the available games. This should be the industry standard.

However we can both agree that this is not Ubisofts reasoning, lol.

 

[Madmick]

If subscribed to a publisher/developer specific 'game pass'. One should get full access to the available games. This should be the industry standard.

However we can both agree that this is not Ubisofts reasoning, lol.

Okay, yeah, agreed.

 

[rikwebb]

2nd half of Aprils Game Pass Additions announced

Orcs Must Die! 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 17
Orcs Must Die! 3 ushers orc-slaying mayhem to a previously unimaginable scale. Solo, or 2-player co-op, arm yourself with a massive arsenal of traps and weapons. Slice, burn, toss, and zap hordes of repugnant orcs in this long-awaited successor to the award-winning tower defense series.

EA Sports NHL 24 (Console) EA Play – April 18
Just in time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL 24 is coming to Game Pass Ultimate via EA Play! Members can experience authentic on-ice action and give their Ultimate Team a boost with the EA Play Mega Players Pack until May 9, containing 30 items, all Gold Players, with at least five 80+ OVR Players for Ultimate Team mode in the game.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 23
Available on day one with Game Pass! Gather your allies for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the grand JRPG adventure. Assemble your 6-party team from a cast of over a hundred heroes and shape your destiny in this lush, hand-crafted 2.5D world brimming with war, intrigue, and magic. Manage your town of vibrant characters, play delightful mini-games, and prepare for an unforgettable narrative of boundless charm.

Another Crab's Treasure (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 25
Available on day one with Game Pass! A soulslike adventure set in a crumbling underwater world. As Kril the hermit crab, you'll need to wear the trash around you as shells to withstand attacks from enemies many times your size. Embark on an epic treasure hunt to buy back your repossessed shell and discover the dark secrets behind the polluted ocean.

Manor Lords (Game Preview) (PC) – April 26
Available on day one with Game Pass! Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game featuring in-depth city building, large-scale tactical battles and complex economic and social simulations. Rule your lands as a medieval lord — the seasons pass, the weather changes and cities rise and fall.

Have A Nice Death (Cloud, Console, and PC) – April 30
In this darkly charming 2D action roguelike, play as an overworked Death, whose employees have run rampant, completely throwing off the balance of souls – and his vacation plans. Grab your trusty scythe and show your employees who's boss.

Game Pass Core is also getting some additions

Deep Rock Galactic
Superhot: Mind Control Delete
Wreckfest


Leaving the service soon:

• 7 Days to Die (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Besiege (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• EA Sports NHL 22 (Console)
• Loot River (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Pikuniku (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Ravenlok (Cloud, Console, and PC)

 

[SaiWa]

If subscribed to a publisher/developer specific 'game pass'. One should get full access to the available games. This should be the industry standard.

However we can both agree that this is not Ubisofts reasoning, lol.

I am not following the argument here.

All they did was create a different type of tiers of the game for sale at launch.
It is no different than what MS did with Starfield. They just went about and did it differently. And Ubisoft never promised to offer their entire library to be accessed on XBox if they had a Premium Ubisoft+.
It was a selection of games.

But from what I gathered people on xbox will be able to play this premium version of the game on xbox if they have the premium Ubisoft+. At the very least Ubisoft took care of their PC subscribers (which is the lion's share of their player base) on Ubisoft+ (all 12 of them).

Gamepass owners didn't have access to the premium stuff for Starfield. :/

 

[KaNesDeath]

I am not following the argument here.

Thought i described it quite well. Your getting into the weeds of game passes within game passes, lol.

 

[SaiWa]

Thought i described it quite well. Your getting into the weeds of game passes within game passes, lol.

Hmmmm I think I understand it now. The argument is about the Jabba the Hutt side mission content. It should be available to everyone, not just the people who have premium subscription or bought the premium version.

Meh. This kind of regression has been going on for a long while now. This has happened with simply selection which console you choose to play a certain game. Destiny (and Destiny 2) had DLCs that were only available on Playstation. Same game/price but the extra content is found on the Playstation side.

Also I don't see how this is any worse than Gamepass (which I believe you agreed. Please correct me if I assume incorrectly). At least Ubisoft+ includes the DLCs and the premium content. With Starfield you have to buy the DLCs. Gamepass subscribers do no get full access to the available game (Starfield).

So your comment should be:

If subscribed to a publisher/developer specific 'game pass'. One should get full access to the available games. This should be the industry standard.

However we can both agree that this is not Ubisofts nor Microsoft's reasoning, lol.

That's what I was confused about...
It's not just a Ubisoft thing here...

 

[KaNesDeath]

So your comment should be:

Im curious how this worked with services like Netflix. Did TV shows/movies from another broadcaster offer additional content besides the base programming?

 

[SaiWa]

Im curious how this worked with services like Netflix. Did TV shows/movies from another broadcaster offer additional content besides the base programming?

?? I am not sure how this relates to the discussion here?

 

[KaNesDeath]

?? I am not sure how this relates to the discussion here?

If someone bought a premium DVD of a movie they'd get something like the movie, directors commentary, directors cut, deleted scenes and so on. With the introduction of Netflix; a third party digital distribution subscription service. What amount of that content was available on Netflix?

 

[SaiWa]

If someone bought a premium DVD of a movie they'd get something like the movie, directors commentary, directors cut, deleted scenes and so on. With the introduction of Netflix; a third party digital distribution subscription service. What amount of that content was available on Netflix?

I am actually not much of a Netflix watcher but I did enjoy the series Wednesday and Peaky Blinders which were created by Netflix. I believe there were some trailers and a few behind the scenes and interviews on Netflix. But the bulk of those additional stuff are found outside of Netflix (like youtube, facebook feeds, etc...). They now use those bonuses as advertisement for the series. That's how I found out about Peaky Blinders. Short clips of really intense scenes that were too interesting for me to pass up watching the show.

I don't think the format (watching a show/movie) is comparable to playing video games. At the very least I am not a good representation of what a regular Netflix viewer is to make a proper comparison. I've owned a Netflix account for 15+ years but I hardly use it (I can count the number of shows I've finished with one hand). My brother and friend use the account most of the time.

 

[method115]

I am actually not much of a Netflix watcher but I did enjoy the series Wednesday and Peaky Blinders which were created by Netflix. I believe there were some trailers and a few behind the scenes and interviews on Netflix. But the bulk of those additional stuff are found outside of Netflix (like youtube, facebook feeds, etc...). They now use those bonuses as advertisement for the series. That's how I found out about Peaky Blinders. Short clips of really intense scenes that were too interesting for me to pass up watching the show.

I don't think the format (watching a show/movie) is comparable to playing video games. At the very least I am not a good representation of what a regular Netflix viewer is to make a proper comparison. I've owned a Netflix account for 15+ years but I hardly use it (I can count the number of shows I've finished with one hand). My brother and friend use the account most of the time.

That short clips thing is very addictive. I damn near rewatched all of The Sopranos in short clips on YouTube.