Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Ubisoft Eliminates Passport Fee For Assassin’s Creed IV, Will Not Use Them Again
Earlier this week, we broke the story that Assassin’s Creed IV’s Ubisoft Passport (an online pass) walled off some content in the single-player game. Ubisoft has heard the response from the community and is adjusting its policies for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and all future titles.
Ubisoft has provided us with the following statement on the matter:
“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. 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.”
Ubisoft joins EA, which abandoned the practice of online passes earlier this year. For more on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, check out our review and our beginner’s guide.
Our Take
Ubisoft has made the right decision. While consumers have come to accept online passes as standard practice, allowing them to encroach on the single-player experience feels wrong. Dropping the fee for this game and removing the practice altogether sends the right message to consumers.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
