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Though I’m busy in the process of putting the finishing touches on my final two game blogs for my Halloween Gaming List of 2013, I could not help but speak of yet another victory against the tyranny of Online Passes.

Yesterday Ubisoft announced that it was killing its Online Pass Program called UPlay Pass effective IMMEDIATELY! It seems that they too have finally gotten the message (be it from gamers like me that no longer bought Ubisoft titles or realizing they were losing money off this) that yet another “Project Ten Dollar” idea was an epic fail and decided it was in their best interest to forgo this practice in the future. According to reports this was done upon seeing that gamers were very upset about the Edward's Fleet mode, an online feature that allows players to interact with others on console or through the game's companion app. That is IF you bought the game new or paid the $10 fee for the privilege. Apparently this was the turning point that blurred the lines between single player/offline and multiplayer/online modes of gameplay for gamers that made them realize what a terrible idea Online Pass was to begin with.

 

According to IGN, Kotaku and Gamespot, Ubisoft said the following:

"The Uplay Passport program was initiated as a means of giving customers full access and support for online multiplayer and features, along with exclusive content, bonuses, and rewards,"

"However, games today are blurring the line between offline and online, between what is 'single-player' and what is 'multiplayer, based on that and on the feedback we received from you, we recognized that Passport is no longer the best approach for ensuring that all our customers have the best possible experience with all facets of our games."

 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.

Once again I find this statement itself funny given how we were initially told Uplay Pass, much like Online Pass, was to help combat piracy, then to help pay for the servers that gamers take up space on when they buy the game used, to helping developers get a fair share of the profits from second hand sales, to now this notion that UPlay Pass was intended as a new online content and service provider. I personally love how they’re trying re-write history with their intentions by saying UPlay Pass was truly  “a means of giving customers full access and support for online multiplayer and features, along with exclusive content, bonuses, and rewards,"

So much like EA’s Online Pass before it, to translate this “corporate speak”,  Ubisoft is pretty much saying “We hoped to repackage online multiplayer into a service gamers would be willing to pay for, even though such offerings were given as a free incentive to keep the game EVER SINCE CONSOLES BECAME CAPABLE OF CONNECTING ONLINE, but upon hearing gamers crying foul on this when it came to what we did to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and the possible damage it could do to sales, we’ve decided to go back to how games used to be sold.”

That pretty much sums things up in a nutshell.

And much like what happened with EA’s Online Pass, there has been no word if any of their past titles that use to use UPlay pass will have them revoked eventually. But given that EA did such later on I would not be surprised if Ubisoft realized that mistake too and backtracked quickly to remove the cancer that is UPlay Pass on the rest of the past titles. Either way I almost feel sorry for the gamers out there who actually bought Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag new in hoping to avoid paying extra to gamers who actually bought the UPlay Pass when they bought their games used, regardless if the game itself was dirt cheap.

 

Almost.

So once again I’d like to thank all the gamers out there that took a stand like me in not buying ANY of these UPlay Pass titles or did buy these games but made the decision to not pay the UPlay Pass fee. This event wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t make our stand and showed Ubisoft that UPlay Pass was not the future of video gaming. Regardless if Ubisoft made this decision because of actual gamer feedback in what came about with Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag or because they saw their corporate profits preparing to take a nosedive over this, the end result is still the same. Ubisoft’s UPlay Pass is dead, and knowing we gamers once again stood up and shouted in a resounding voice shows that the cancer that is Online Pass has no place in either the current or next gaming generation! Stand proud fellow gamers in congratulation of our efforts. That’s now two game companies that have decided to kill their “Project Ten Dollar” endeavors.

I think I should start a “Kill List” of all the Online Pass that remain. It looks like the tide is slowly turning. Keep up the pressure gamers! Let’s show the game companies how horribly wrong they are about this concept and that they’ll follow the lead that EA and now Ubisoft have started. Goodbye UPlay Pass: may your foulness rot in hell!

 

Ta-ta

“N”