From Star Wars Outlaws to the latest Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft seems to be following a pattern that is catching a lot of flak.
After a user on X/Twitter uploaded a screenshot showcasing a monetization strategy the company has leveraged for Shadows, fans of the franchise are quickly piling on the company for being greedy and hurting itself with its decisions.
Star Wars Outlaws Day One Pass Controversy Hits Shadows
When Outlaws was out for preorder, controversy erupted. There are three editions; Standard, Gold, and Ultimate, selling for $69.99, $109.99, and $129.99. The latter two come with a day-one season pass, which is where a major issue was spotted (aside from those prices, of course).
The Jabba’s Gambit mission was one of the most anticipated parts of the game. However, the mission is locked from the very start behind the day one pass; meaning, you have to pay $109.99 to play it.
Despite a lot of backlash around the monetization decision, it seems that Ubisoft has gone forward with applying this across their games. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the latest game to be affected.
Like Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed Shadows will be locking a quest on day 1 behind a season pass that's included in significantly more expensive editions of the game. pic.twitter.com/ghR9SvRcWE
— Yong Yea (@YongYea) May 16, 2024
While it’s not confirmed what the bonus quest is, nonetheless, Ubisoft has decided to lock it behind a $109.99 purchase. Players do get two future expansions with new characters, lands, and lore to dive into, but many are not happy with the hefty price tag.
Ubisoft just can't help but throw a wrench in their own path.
— Kyle Harrison (@ThePhoenixKing_) May 16, 2024
Indeed, some have compared Ubisoft’s move as a self-sabotaging move. Each time this occurs, people have been very vocal about their negative opinions about the decision. Yet, it continues to happen. It may be the harsh truth, but one X/Twitter user expresses why this could be the situation.
They do this, because it works. If it didn’t work, they wouldn’t do it. I know it’s frustrating, but we have no one to blame but ourselves.
— Bill (@NerdNestTV) May 16, 2024
Voting with your money is an effective way to get corporations to hear you—just look at how the Helldivers 2 controversy was solved partly thanks to a massive group of people refunding the game in protest.
However, another user notices a pattern which might mean there’s not much to worry about. When the same situation happened in Valhalla, they explained that Ubisoft eventually made the mission free; all we had to do was wait.
No surprise they did it with AC Valhalla but later made it free so they'll probs do that too
— 💜Ellain💜 (@QueenEllain) May 16, 2024
Even if it’s eventually made free, the situation raises many questions. Is it really fair game for publishers to charge for extra missions in a single-player game?
Shadows Can’t Find Its Way Out of Controversies
The prices and the day-one season pass are just the start of the problems around Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Many people have taken offense to the games’ protagonists.
One is Naoe, a Japanese female shinobi, and the other is Yasuke, a former slave of African origin who serves under daimyo Oda Nobunaga.
Some groups of fans have called the inclusion of Yasuke “woke” and termed it historically inaccurate. The history of the real-life Yasuke is a little muddy, as it’s still debated whether or not he was a samurai.
However, he did serve under Nobunaga, and his origin bears similarities with that of the game’s Yasuke. Will you be playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Let us know why or why not in the comments below!
