Ubisoft: The next worst thing?

[Matthew Jabour]

There's always those companies that it's just so fun - and easy - to hate. EA, Activision, Capcom, and now Microsoft compose our current pantheon of companies that currently have incurred the wrath of the Internet. But over the last few years, a new contender has emerged: Ubisoft. While not entirely despicable, they're certainly going through the motions. Yearly releases of once good games? Check. Morally ambiguous policies that seem to deteriorate as time goes on? Check. One of their high-ups making some dickish statement about how new games won't be made unless they can be turned into sequel machines? Checkaroo.

It's been a long time coming, but let me make it official. Ubisoft, I hereby award you the Up & Coming Most Hated Company trophy. Now you, Microsoft, and Square Enix, are the new trinity of companies that we wish would be removed from the face of the earth - or at least kicked in the metaphorical balls.

P.S. Yeah, I guess I did say basically nothing in this post. What of it?

 

[The Madman]

As a longtime PC gamer, Ubisoft is probably the worst publisher. Even EA and their useless Origin thing is better than Ubisofts penchant for ridiculous DRM, which really is a terrible shame since Ubisoft also happens to publish quite a few excellent PC franchise like Settlers, Heroes of Might & Magic, and the ANNO series. None of which I've played the newest games of thanks to Ubisoft.

...

Actually no, Microsoft is the worst. Games for Windows Live is horrendous, and they've butchered quite a few excellent developer over the years. So Ubisoft is second worst after Microsoft, EA would come third in my mind.

Go, erm, good for you EA? Congrats on not being worst at something for once.

 

[BQE]

Anyone familiar with the actions of NCsoft might agree that the are one of the worst and most toxic publishers I've ever seen. They've spawned and systematically destroyed so many MMOs. I played Auto Assault, Lineage II, Exteel, Tabula Rasa, and City of Heroes/Villains. Some of these had serious potential and CoX alone was a great game that I still believe shouldn't have closed down.

Simultaneous unrealistic expectations plus ridiculous demands from a publisher equate to a lot of dead or lifeless games.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Just now? Ubisoft was the first company to use always online drm (or at least popularize it). As the pc gamer above me said, their treatment towards pc is the worst. They even used root kits as a form of drm. I believe they flat out said they think most pc gamers are pirates. I hate them for wasting an hour of my life signing up for Uplay and of course, they later got hacked which could have put the email account I used for it at risk. Fuck them, that kind of bullshit is reason I keep my pc gaming to a minimum

I don't really see it as a contest. Fuck EA. Fuck Ubisoft. And double fuck Microsoft, mostly because they have so much influence over the pc world and their software is usually a steaming pile shit

 

[Strelok]

What did Ubisoft do again? I am never up on the flavor of the week let's hate. Sorry have a life and all that. I know some of their PC versions get delayed, not a big deal really, is it U-Play? I rather like that, trophies that are worth points so you can download what would be DLC or come in a special edition? yes please, I'll have some of that. Was it the always on DRM that they have stopped using? Hold a grudge much? I really don't get the hate for EA either, but whatever, Origin is not a total disaster now. You want someone accurate to focus hate on should be Micro$oft, their blatant contempt for the PC which should really be one of their own platforms is complete nonsense. The bile they vomited onto the PC with Games for Windows Live was a crime against gaming. When Micro$oft Games shuts it's doors forever, the world of gaming will be a better place.

 

[RJ 17]

Just for the record, I'm pretty sure the average Escapist opinion of Ubisoft is "they fucking suck". This is kinda like that thread asking if LoL should have been recognized as an e-sport before StarCraft. SC came out a decade before LoL, so there's really no point in asking that question...kinda like there's no point in asking if Ubisoft is deserving of a lot of hate because most of the people around here will tell you "Yes, yes they most specifically are."

 

[squid5580]

As a console gamer I kinda like some of Ubisoft's ideas. U play on the 360 is pretty cool. I can play games I like and use those points for that game or the next one or whatever. I can't fault them for putting out yearly releases when people flock to them by the millions. Although the only franchise they seem to be doing that with right now is AC and Far Cry (if you wanna count Blood Dragon). But in that respect again AC prints money so as long as people keep buying them I see no reason to hold them responsible for making money by giving people what they keep asking for.

 

[C14N]

I'm getting to the point where I think Ubi are moving into the spot of my 2nd least favourite gaming company, although still a distant second to Activision who are sort of like the Simon Cowell of game publishers imo. I don't see why Ubi gets any less hate than EA to be honest, apart from the fact that maybe they aren't quite as successful. I do want to say though that after that, I don't really dislike any gaming companies. My main jimmy-rustlers in terms of company policy are just the IP-destroying annual releases as well as reliance on DLC and micro-transactions for sales. Since Ubisoft have gone annual with AC (which I loved back with AC2) and with increasingly mediocre results, I'm kind of inclined to just give the series a miss from here on. I'm quite worried too because although Watch Dogs looks exciting and interesting, I already worry about how little respect I will have for the franchise when we're looking at Watch Dogs 4 just a few years away.

 

[MammothBlade]

No, not really, just view all big publishers with a bit of distrust. Singling out one publisher for being more "evil" than the others is quite short-sighted and allows others to get away with the same shit.

 

[Username Redacted]

Pretty sure Ubisoft is every bit as shitty, shady and anti-consumer as EA is they just tend (aside from calling all PC gamers pirates) to be quiter about it.

 

[dumbseizure]

See, I prefer Ubisoft over EA and a few others.

I haven't had the problems with Uplay that I have with Origin and that GOD AWFUL Games For Windows Live.

 

[lacktheknack]

While they're still hurting themselves a bit with UPlay, they're actually one of the best Public Relations Disaster Recovery success stories in... ever. They've completely 180'd on more or less EVERY policy that garnered them hatred. Guys... they ditched the Always On DRM about a YEAR ago. A YEAR. And they haven't said anything ridiculously stupid about PC gamers recently, either. Why do you all insist on making everything your chew-toy? Why can't you pay attention when companies do good things for once? Do you all just despise good news?

So... no. No, I'd go so far as to say that they're one of the BETTER publishers in the industry.

 

[Snotnarok]

I've hated them for a while, with their AWFUL DRM policies that went on for ages then they finally change it and it's still questionable. And it leaves me more worried than anything I hear people had games on steam then suddenly they need a uplay account after a forced update? You can just change DRM when you want? Why would you do that when you HAVE DRM in place already?
I love some of their games (rayman) and all but I'm not going to buy if they do their stupid install limit DRM or always online.

I mean people quote EA for being terrible with always online with Sim City, well Ubisoft had that going for strictly singleplayer games like Assassins Creed and crap and just told everyone to deal with it while pirates cracked the code after a while.

 

[SerBrittanicus]

I actually don't really mind Uplay all that much as far as drm systems go and it at least works with Steam and Ubisoft have at least been making an effort in recent years to try and improve their relationship with PC gamers. That is more than I can say for companies like Microsoft with that piece of shit that is GFWL or EA with their Origin service, which I had more problems with than there are grains of sand on the earth when I tried to use it. In the big publisher world I would actually rank Ubisoft pretty damn highly if not at the top (depending on whether or not CDProjekt Red count as a publisher).

 

[SonicWaffle]

So... no. No, I'd go so far as to say that they're one of the BETTER publishers in the industry.

But...but...Assassins Creed III!

THERE SHALL BE NO FORGIVENESS.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Apart from their treatment of Rayman and the whole "everything must be a series" thing, Ubisoft has been pretty harmless the past year or so. Of course I'm primarily a console gamer, but I know PC gamers have rightfully seen Ubisoft as EA's equal for quite some time now.

 

[lacktheknack]

So... no. No, I'd go so far as to say that they're one of the BETTER publishers in the industry.

But...but...Assassins Creed III!

THERE SHALL BE NO FORGIVENESS.

It's been bombed and counter-bombed on Metacritic a couple times, ergo no one's opinion on it matters in the slightest. Not even yours.

With that out of the way, you'll have to cite actual things they've done to anger you, not your opinion on the most stupidly controversial-because-controversy-is-fun games of the decade.

 

[The Last Nomad]

As much as i would like to dislike Ubisoft, I just can't. They have all the worst bits of bad publishers but when it comes down to it, I don't think I've played a Ubisoft game that wasn't a hellova lotta fun. (Not including the Lost game. That game was ok, but only because it wasn't long enough for me to really get angry at it)

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

I'm expecting another Microsoft or EA hate thread any day now since we're seeing yet another pointless "share the hate" thread as if we don't have a million of those.