Ubisoft has been marking several firsts in recent times. Previously, it was the first major gaming publisher to dip its toes into the controversial blockchain and NFT technology with Ubisoft Quartz last year. Now, it seems that the French publisher is courting controversy as Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD, one of its earlier titles in the series, was delisted on the storefront. While that in itself is not exactly groundbreaking, Ubisoft’s additional condition on the official store page has some people scratching their heads. Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD will no longer be playable on Steam starting September 1, even for those who purchased the game before.
Here are the notices from Ubisoft as posted on Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD’s official Steam page:
Notice: At the request of the publisher, Assassin’s Creed® Liberation HD is no longer available for sale on Steam.
Notice: Please note this title will not be accessible following September 1st, 2022
This move was largely criticized by many players online. It spawned much of the discussion on Reddit that also noted Ubisoft’s decision to prevent players from accessing Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD is related to the server shutdowns of several older titles. Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD had the misfortune of having its DRM (digital rights management) authentication tied to these servers, and without these servers, Ubisoft cannot guarantee that you’re playing a legitimate copy of the game. Not that it matters in the long run, though, as it has likely been cracked by pirates for years now.
Another possible source of controversy is that Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD was recently part of the popular store-wide bonanza Steam Summer Sale 2022. It has not been a month since the sale was live and many criticized Ubisoft’s decision to put it up there despite knowing that it will soon be delisted.
This situation also led to more worries, as the server shutdown announcement included several other titles that could be affected. We may see more games added to that list before the shutdown, so stay tuned.
