Ubisoft is apparently testing the possibility of in-game advertising in older games, according to several users. A video on Reddit shows an XXL advertisement for Assassin's Creed Mirage for today's Black Friday.
Publishers' attempts to monetize their games through additional advertising revenue are nothing new. However, they usually backed down after protests from players who refuse to accept such practices, especially in a full-price title.
In the current case, which is based on a video on Reddit It is supposed to be occupied, someone is playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey from 2018. The moment the map is accessed, a huge advertising banner appears briefly for Assassin's Creed Mirage on, which is available with a 20 percent discount for Black Friday.
Users are worried and angry
The mostly negative reactions to this were not long in coming, with many calling it unacceptable. There are better options.
"Completely unacceptable. If they want to promote their latest game with a tile in the Xbox main menu before launch, as they have been doing for years, that's somewhat more acceptable. However, not forcing them to integrate it into the in-game menus is unacceptable."
Others fear that this will be the future of games, where publishers will increasingly rely on advertising revenue. A particularly negative example cited is... NBA 2K-series by Take Two, where partly longer video ads They have gone through this. Electronic Arts has also attracted negative attention in this regard on several occasions.
It should be clear that this was a mistake on Ubisoft's part. Such things are programmed accordingly and don't accidentally slip into a game, especially since a direct purchase option was also implemented. The latest updates regarding... Assassin's Creed Odyssey They have thus delivered more than anyone could have initially imagined.
In response, there are calls for a boycott of the game, which some users have reportedly uninstalled immediately. However, it's advisable to wait for a statement from Ubisoft before commenting further.
[UpdateAccording to Ubisoft, this is a bug that will be fixed as soon as possible.
What a move by HS, and the death knell for the entire industry if this catches on.