Update 2: Ubisoft now says that the games set to be decommissioned later this year, including Assassin's Creed Liberation HD, will continue to be available for players who purchased them to play directly.
"As stated in our support article, only DLCs and online features will be affected by the upcoming decommissioning," the company says in a statement to 12DOVE. "Current owners of those games will still be able to access, play or redownload them.
"Our teams are working with our partners to update this information across all storefronts and are also assessing all available options for players who will be impacted when these games’ online services are decommissioned on September 1st, 2022. It has always been our intention to do everything in our power to allow those legacy titles to remain available in the best possible conditions for players, and this is what we are working towards."
Update: Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed Liberation HD and three other titles are being "decommissioned" in September. The publisher issued the following statement to 12DOVE:
"We don't take the decision to retire services for older Ubisoft games lightly, and our teams are currently assessing all available options for players who will be impacted when these games' online services are decommissioned on September 1st, 2022.
It added, "We are also working with our partners to update this information across all storefronts, so players will be fully informed about the removal of online services at the point of purchase as well as via our support article where we shared the news."
Original story: Assassin's Creed fans are review-bombing the spin-off game Assassin's Creed Liberation that's set to be rendered unplayable in just two months.
Take a trip to the Assassin's Creed Liberation HD Steam page, and you'll be met with a message that reads, "At the request of the publisher, Assassin's Creed Liberation HD is no longer available for sale on Steam." What's worse is that if you've previously bought the game, you'll find yourself unable to play it in just a few weeks as it "will not be accessible following September 1st, 2022."
Ubisoft hasn't given the reason behind its decision, but the date does coincide with the company's plan to pull the plug on the online services for some of its older games. Still, as Liberation HD is a single-player-only game, its sudden delisting is an odd move by the publisher, especially so considering you won't be able to play it even if you've parted with cash to do so.
The Assassin's Creed Liberation HD Steam reviews show that overall the game has received a "mixed" reception from fans. Unsurprisingly, recent reviews have been "mostly negative" in light of Ubisoft's actions. "I basically bought a digital paperweight. Thanks, Ubi," said one reviewer. Another wrote, "Great reason to never buy anything from Ubisoft ever again." This sentiment is shared by many Steam users, including Spider9928, who said, "Ubisoft, I won't be purchasing another game from you until you can confirm that we can play the games we bought and owned. Until then, I am done with you."
Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation originally launched in 2012 as a PS Vita exclusive. The remake arrived two years later on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. A spin-off of Assassin's Creed 3, the game tells the tale of Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, the series' first female protagonist, and her fight against the Templars. For those still wanting to experience Aveline's adventure on Steam, Assassin's Creed Liberation is included as part of Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered. At the time of writing, this version is still available and seemingly unaffected.
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