A leak directly from the official Ubisoft Store seems to suggest that the company is going to announce a subscription-based service via its digital storefront. This could be somewhat akin to Electronic Arts’ Origin Access program.
The leak was noticed by users on Resetera. The leak shows a placeholder for the publisher’s “Ubisoft Pass Premium.” It appeared on the store for a short period of time, but was quickly taken down.
Interestingly enough, way before the image was removed, a category called “Ubisoft Subscription” already appeared on the store. This is despite the fact that the publisher has never offered subscription-based services. This "Ubisoft Subscription" link has been taken down as well.
Although not confirmed, many believe that Ubisoft is really working on an Origin Access-style service of its own. It could very well be under development already and the publisher might reveal it sooner or later. It's also unknown at this time if this service is exclusive to PC gamers, or if it will jump to consoles as well.
Origin Access gives users access to trials and full releases of new video game titles, including a wide collection of EA’s back catalog. Even more so, the program provides discounts on purchases processed via Origin.
EA decided to divide Origin Access into two tiers, a decision it made last year. These tiers are Basic and Premier. The presence of “Premier” in the aforementioned leak could point to an idea that Ubisoft wants to do the same thing.
Keep in mind that E3 (June 11 to 13), which is known for big announcements such as this one, is just around the corner. This timing feels just right.
In addition, Ubisoft has recently experienced significant growth in its digital storefront. The publisher revealed during its latest earnings report that The Division 2 sales on the store were “ten times greater” than the first installment. CEO Yves Guillemot, on the other hand, said that the decision to put up more new games on the Epic Games Store (instead of doing so on Steam) had helped them do more of their business on their own store.
