Ubisoft announced that they were joining gaming industry companies in the offering a digital distribution service. The application is called Uplay PC, and acts as a central point for PC gamers to connect with a community and purchase services.
In order to entice gamers to sign up, the video game developer and publisher is offering a limited time promotion that makes select Ubisoft PC titles like Driver: San Francisco, From Dust and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 available for one dollar, according to the press release.
"Uplay, Ubisoft's online services and distribution platform, now has more than 35 million members and is available across Ubisoft games and across platforms," Ubisoft said in a press release. "Uplay PC replaces individual game launchers and lets gamers access all their Uplay-enabled PC games and Uplay services in the same place."
Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot recently stated that Ubisoft's future goal is to venture deeper into the free-to-play market, and focus on the next generation of consoles. The developer already has two exclusive titles that will be released on Nintendo's Wii U, ZombiU and Rayman Legends. According to Edge Online, Ubisoft's Montreal studio is already working with development kits for the next Xbox.
The Uplay website has a fully customizable gamer avatar that users can dress up like their favorite Ubisoft character, creating a mini-Sam Fisher or one of the Assassins from Assassin's Creed. It is something that is kind of cool and gimmicky at the same time.
The one problem I can think of with this new application is that there are already so many distributions services like Gamestop Now, Origin, and Steam. Someone has to make a universal digital distribution service.
Ubisoft hasn't announced if there will be distribution opportunities for third parties on Uplay.