Rumors have suggested that Ubisoft could be preparing to release Assassins Creed Valhalla on Steam, following years of availability through the publisher’s proprietary Ubisoft Connect platform on PC. With many game developers skipping Steam for their own PC distribution options, it might not come as much of a surprise if Ubisoft is ignoring its own distribution when it comes to the launch of Assassins Creed Valhalla.
Now that the game is done and wrapped, Ubisoft could put its aging flagship title on Steam, potentially reaching an entirely new audience. Some recent developments indicate a launch may soon happen for Assassins Creed Valhalla, and Valhalla could be joining its direct predecessor, Odyssey, on Valve’s proprietary game platform.
Like previous Ubisoft games, it was launched on PC via the Ubisoft Uplay service but was also available for purchase from the Epic Games Store not Steam. The reference is specific enough to suggest that the publisher has some intentions of getting Assassins Creed Valhalla onto Steam. Since the Epic Games Store launched, Ubisoft has stopped shipping new titles on Steam, instead choosing to use the Ubisoft Connect PC client as the simultaneous launch platform.
Early last year, Ubisoft began moving away from Steam, choosing instead to only bring new games to UPlay and the Epic Games Store. Instead, this year, Ubisoft is set to launch games on PC, partnering with Ubisoft’s newly-resigned partner, Epic Games, as well as their dedicated Uplay store. Ubisoft would be losing out on a large chunk of potential viewers and purchases by leaving Steam behind in favor of the Epic Games store.
Ubisoft’s decision to sell games again on Steam will not be the first time the publisher has returned to Steam. Games such as Call of Duty also returned to Steam, with Modern Warfare 2 seeing massive success on the platform as a result of this move. Steam is set to continue dominating the PC gaming market, with Steam having surpassed 30 million concurrent users recently.
Ubisoft knows Assassins Creed has been at its highest point for quite a while, so making it more accessible, even if that requires using Ubisoft Connect, will be a benefit for Ubisoft. According to the latest datamined by SteamDB, Ubisoft has updated their Connect suite, allowing players to install the Ubisoft Connect PC client in order to start Ubisoft games from within Steam. Rumour is covered by the official site for the game, this year, listing every platform on which the game is going to be available, notably missing Steam.
