An executive at popular video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment said consumers need to get used to not owning video games in order to move the market toward a focus on subscription-based access.
Philip Tremblay, director of subscriptions at Ubisoft. gaming industry About the rebranding of the company's subscription platform.
Tremblay said the revamp was due to positive response from gamers who enjoyed digital access to the title's back catalog.
Tremblay said the point is not to “force users to choose one route or the other,” but his comments ultimately point to a subscription-based model where users don't own their games. He revealed his desire to guide gamers to the game.
“One of the things we've seen is that gamers are getting used to owning and owning their games, a little bit like DVDs. This is the change that needs to happen for consumers. .They're now comfortable not having to own a CD collection or a DVD collection. This is a transformation.'' It was a little slow to happen. [in games]'' Tremblay explained.
Subscription executives justified this position by offering guarantees that no game progress would be lost.
“As gamers become more comfortable with that, no progress will be lost. Even if you restart the game at another time, the progress file will still be there. It will not be deleted. You won't lose anything you've done.'' So it's about being comfortable with not owning the game. ”
An apparent backlash from proponents of physical media ownership prevented publishers from revoking access at any time.
This can happen if a user loses access to their account or if certain content is simply deleted. In December 2023, User no longer has access Access episodes of shows you've already purchased from the Discovery network. More than 1,200 titles have been removed from the PlayStation Network due to licensing agreement changes.
“PlayStation will remove TV shows purchased by users without refund.'' Otaku While writing, forbes “The PlayStation Store will lose over 1,200 purchasable titles and no refunds will be issued.”
Director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer) also criticized digital media for this very reason in an interview. IGN. Nolan explained that access to digital products often depends on the status of the distributor's relationship with the platform providing access to the media.
“If you want to buy [DVD], when you buy a Blu-Ray, it's on your shelf and it's yours. No company is going to come into your home, take it from you, and take it back. It's yours and you know you own it,” Nolan explained. “With any form of digital distribution, that's not really the case. You're dependent on the continued health of your suppliers, the companies that are supplying your products.”
Ubisoft's Tremblay sought to dispel such concerns, saying, “I understand the gamer's point of view.” But he didn't touch on the reality expressed by critics like Nolan.
“Like people hugging each other. [subscriptions], they will know that these games exist, that the service continues, and that they can access them at any time. That’s encouraging,” Tremblay added. “Streaming works really well with subscriptions, so you can pay when you want instead of paying all the time.”
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