Ubisoft Pass could be the next subscription service with a giant games library
Just think of how many open-world games you could play
Ubisoft might've spilled the beans on its plans for an upcoming subscription service after a 'Ubisoft Pass Premium' item briefly surfaced on the publisher's storefront before being pulled. No official announcements have been made just yet, but this would be a sensible move for Ubisoft, putting it shoulder-to-shoulder with other subscription services like EA Access, Xbox Game Pass, and PlayStation Now.
The leak was posted to ResetEra and reported on by VG247, in which a placeholder image for 'Ubisoft Pass Premium' popped up under a now-deleted Ubisoft Subscription category in its shop. It's something of a two-for-one deal on leaked info: not only does Ubisoft seem to be planning a subscription pass to play its massive library of games carte blanche, but it also seems like it'll be available in multiple tiers, given the 'Premium' bit.
Ubisoft's fellow publishing giant EA has already seen success with its EA Access program, with EA Access coming to PS4 in July in addition to its existing Xbox One service and the functionally identical Origin Access on PC. If Ubisoft takes after EA's model, you can expect the option to subscribe on a monthly or yearly basis, with the latter offering a huge discount. Once you're a member, you'll be able to play anything in a growing library of new and old games, with additional perks like access to beta tests and discounts in the publisher's official store.
It's staggering to think just how many thousands of hours of play you could get from Ubisoft's library; if you were to dive headfirst into the likes of Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Far Cry New Dawn, that'd pretty much be a whole month sorted right there. Imagine getting to play anything bearing Tom Clancy's name, or revisiting old favorites in the Rayman or Splinter Cell series. It's safe to assume that this Ubisoft Pass would probably start with a smaller selection and grow over time, but Ubisoft has a helluva lot of hit franchises to pull from, not to mention 'living' multiplayer games like The Division 2, For Honor, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Bar this unintended leak, we'll probably see Ubisoft debut the Ubisoft Pass during its press conference at E3 2019. Ubisoft's seen quite a few bumps in the road to the big show, including the leak of Roller Champions, Ubisoft's answer to Rocket League, and a big fakeout by a Ubisoft developer teasing work on a new Splinter Cell as a joke. Still, the prospect of just how much value you could get out of a Ubisoft Pass is reason enough to get excited.
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Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them.