Ubisoft Throws Lifeline to ‘Fully Support’ NVIDIA’s GeForce Now
Gaming giant Ubisoft is backing Nvidia's game-streaming platform GeForce Now. | Source: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
- Ubisoft has revealed that it ‘fully supports’ NVIDIA’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service.
- The company stands as one of the few remaining major publishers to still have its games on the service.
- Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney voiced similar support for GeForce Now last week.
Ubisoft has thrown its full support behind NVIDIA’s new GeForce Now cloud gaming service.
Speaking to Kotaku, Ubisoft’s senior vice president for partnerships and revenue, Chris early, says ;
Ubisoft fully supports NVIDIA’s GeForce Now with complete access to our PC games from the Ubisoft Store or any supported game stores. We believe it’s a leading-edge service that gives current and new PC players a high-end experience with more choice in how and where they play their favorite games.
The French publisher’s catalog features popular franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, The Division, and Watchdogs.
Ubisoft now stands as one of the few remaining major publishers still supporting the fledgling service, which has weathered a slew of high-profile exits in recent weeks.
Wavering Support
Activision Blizzard had its game removed last month with NVIDIA citing a ‘misunderstanding’ between the two companies. Bethesda followed suits not long afterward, leaving only one game, Wolfenstein: Youngbloods, for users to play. More recently, 2K Games opted to have its entire library removed from GeForce Now.
The service isn’t without its supporters, though. Last week, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, took to Twitter to praise NVIDIA’s new service , which allows users to play already-owned games from digital storefronts like Steam and the Epic Games Store on high-end RTX-enabled servers. He said;
It’s the most developer-friendly and publisher-friendly of the major streaming services, with zero tax on game revenue. Game companies who want to move the game industry towards a healthier state for everyone should be supporting this kind of service!
In the same vein, NVIDIA announced that CD Projekt Red’s upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 would be available day one on GeForce Now.
Overall, it’s a good look for Ubisoft. Coupled with the company’s decision to delay several upcoming titles, including Watch Dogs: Legion and Gods & Monsters to ‘deliver optimal experiences for players,’ it should raise Ubisoft’s reputation among players.
Why Are Publishers Removing Their Games From GeForce Now?
It also raises questions about why other publishers have opted to jump ship.
The timing is particularly interesting given that Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, et al. partnered with NVIDIA throughout the GeForce Now multi-year beta, only pulling out when the service launched in earnest and ushered in a paid premium tier. These publishers may be eager to snag a piece of the pie and a cut of GeForce Now’s subscription fees.
Many publishers may be prepping their own cloud gaming services. Having gained insights and learned lessons from time spent as part of GeForce Now, they might now be ready to go at it alone.
Another possible explanation may be the draconian EULA agreements that these publishers assign to their releases. Many of these limit users from playing their games on remote hardware. Pulling their games from GeForce Now may be linked to the need to retool copyright and licensing agreements to cater to this new emergent brand of cloud gaming.
Whatever the reason, Ubisoft’s support may pressure other publishers to reconsider their decision to abandon GeForce now.
