Ubisoft reveals its list of games for Uplay+ and I have questions

Ubisoft today released the list of games that’ll be included in its Uplay+ paid streaming service — and it comes with a very important footnote that makes me question its value.

The game list is admittedly impressive — over 100 titles, including the entirety of the Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, and Far Cry series (or at least the games Ubisoft has been responsible for), as well as the various Tom Clancy properties. It also includes some of Ubisoft’s quirkier properties that don’t get as much acclaim as the others — like Child of Light or Valiant Hearts. There’s also Uno, for some reason.

The games themselves aren’t enough of an enticement to me, for the simple fact that I already own the vast majority of the titles I want. And $15 a month isn’t chump change. What hasn’t so far been answered is whether new games will be added to the Uplay+ service the same day they’re released in general, and whether they’ll cost extra — if the answers are “yes,” and “no” respectively, I might consider it.

The part that really gets my attention, though, is this big honking asterisk at the top of the screen. The note attached to the asterisk says, “Where premium or special editions of the game are indicated (for example: Ultimate/Gold/Deluxe Editions), please note editions included in Uplay+ may not include all premium content. Game list and final edition(s) subject to change.”

So wait, why even list the Ultimate/Gold/Deluxe Editions if that’s not what we’re going to get? Why not just say “Here’s the Standard/Vanilla/Borderline Affordable Edition” and list all the DLC you intend to add separately? Also, Ubisoft implied at the Uplay+ E3 reveal that subscribers would have early access to the games — does that include the DLCs?

And while I assume “subject to change” means games will be added, rather than removed, I am now suspicious. I wouldn’t blame Ubisoft if it cycled out the offerings — PS Plus games come and go every month. But that’s not the impression I’ve gotten so far from the Uplay+ promotional push.

We’ve contacted Ubisoft, hoping to get answers to some of these questions. The service launches on PC this coming September and will launch on Google Stadia sometime next year.