ASSASSIN’S CREED fans will never have to pay for a game in their favourite series ever again under a new service revealed by Ubisoft.
The Uplay+ subscription will get you access to the most expensive digital version of every game they publish, all extra content created for those games, and even access to beta testing versions of them before they come out.
It’s starting on PC this September, with a plan to bring the service to Google Stadia next year too.
Sign ups will start in August, and Ubisoft says it will cost €14.99-a-month in Europe and $14.99 in the US.
While a UK price has not been officially confirmed, you can safely expect it to be £14.99-a-month or just under.
This compares to around £100 you would currently pay for the complete edition of one of their biggest games if you want all the pre-order content, expansion packs and other bonuses.
It’s the latest step towards an all-digital future that means you may never have to buy a games console ever again.
Stephanie Perotti, Ubisoft’s vice president of online services revealed the company’s grand plans ahead of E3 is Los Angeles to a small group of journalists and industry figures.
She revealed that the company is working towards only having to develop one version of any given game it makes, and technology to make sure that game can then run on any screen you want.
This will lead to “better, richer, deeper experiences”, she says, likening the switch from console and PC gaming to cloud gaming to the move from 2D to 3D graphics.
The plan is to enable this through fully harnessing the power of cloud computing, and not just using computers in the cloud for game streaming.
The idea behind this is to make a world where developers don’t have to worry about making games that just run on one computer with limited resources that different in-game systems compete for resources, but can instead do whatever they want.
Simulating a living world for you to play in could be split up across a load of different systems, with each one looking after a different piece.
One might look after the weather in the world, for instance, while another might be managing the characters in that world as they go to work every day.
Then you can have huge, immersive worlds that exist and carry on whether you’re playing or not.
The result will be “emerging gameplay free of hardware restraints”, she says.
Dominic Butler, Ubisoft’s editorial technology director, revealed the plan for “unparalleled levels of interaction” allowing for a world that “reacts to and reflects your choices.”
Ubisoft revealed that it is testing some of the fundamentals behind this technology with their new game Watch Dogs Legion.
That game is set in a version of a chaotic post-Brexit London where every character in the world is simulated, with a routine you can follow and a life you can dive into.
The subscription will also get you access to Ubisoft’s back catalogue too – so you’ll be able to dive into any of the older Asssassin’s Creed games or their expansions, along with classics such as Rayman, Beyond Good and Evil, and many more.
Back in the world of the present, though, Microsoft just revealed its plans to release its next Xbox in time for Christmas next year, giving gamers a first glimpse of what they can expect with their big annual briefing.
Keanu Reeves also dropped by to let fans know he was starring in next year’s Cyberpunk 2077, and that the game would be available in April.
They also revealed more about Project Xcloud, which will let you play the latest Xbox games on any screen you like, whether you own an Xbox or not.
Elsewhere around E3, EA has revealed more details of its new Star Wars game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and has admitted that it’s not going to be bringing the real Fifa 20 for Nintendo Switch.
You can also see all the best new trailers revealed so far right here, with highlights including Gears 5, Halo Infinite, Doom Eternal and, of course, Cyberpunk 2077.
Monday brings briefings from Nintendo and Square Enix and more before the show kicks off in earnest.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
