Ubisoft Defends Microtransactions For Single-Player Games; CEO Yves Guillemot Pushes Back On Stop Killing Games

The state of Ubisoft continues to be a roller coaster when viewed from afar. Just this week, the firm shared some titan-sized news that surprised many disclosing that Assassin’s Creed Shadows surpassed five million players since release. Additionally, it is hard not to mention the new details for an upcoming Ghost Recon game. The publisher told during a shareholders meeting that it is making a new installment as a first-person shooter.

However, Ubisoft has also been in the crosshairs since last year as well. Previously, it was revealed a new lawsuit was filed for the closing of premium release The Crew. Despite being a full priced title, the game is no longer playable in any capacity. Actions like this is what sprouted the Stop Killing Games movement which recently received applause from some members of the European Movement to enforce consumer ownership.

During the same shareholders meeting via Dexerto, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot did respond to the campaign with plenty of pushback viewing the movement as a thorn in its side; worded as a “issue”. Guillemot expressed the initiative to be an obstacle that many publishers are facing when operating to deliver a service.

“This is an issue we’ve been dealing with. But this issue is not specific to Ubisoft. All video game publishers are faced with that issue. You provide a service, but nothing is written in stone, and at some point the service may be discontinued. Nothing is eternal. […] Players and buyers are forewarned that eventually the game may be discontinued. We are doing our best to make sure things go well for our players and buyers.”

Separately, Ubisoft on a similar note from its 2024-25 Universal Registration Document also elaborated on how microtransactions can deliver more for single-player titles. “At Ubisoft, the golden rule when developing premium games is to allow players to enjoy the game in full without having to spend more. Our monetization offer within premium games makes the player experience more fun by allowing them to personalize their avatars or progress more quickly, however this is always optional.”

Although this is an argument that many will take to the battlefield, Ubisoft is not alone on this topic. Previously, Capcom issued the same business model to titles like Devil May Cry V. At the time in 2019, game director Hideaki Itsuno offered it is an alternative for players to save time from grinding. You can read the full report by heading here.

What are your thoughts on the recent statements by Ubisoft?

Source: Ubisoft