Ubisoft's grudging crawlback to Steam continues with achievements for Watch Dogs 2 added a mere 9 years after release

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft is currently engaged in what we Brits would call a reverse-ferret: After years of releasing its games exclusively on the Epic Store, the publisher has returned to distributing them on Steam. The first game to mark a return to day one releases will be Assassin's Creed Shadows on March 20, even if Ubisoft is still trying to make you sync-up your Steam account to a Ubisoft Connect one. It just can't quite let go!

This is all because Ubisoft has realised it can't afford to ignore Steam, but would really much rather prefer you bought games directly on its own platform. Such grudging reticence may lie behind another oddity of the publisher's gradual return: Ubisoft is slowly going through its back catalogue and adding Steam achievements, in most cases several years after release.

Ubisoft is gradually going through its back catalogue, and has added Steam achievements to the likes of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and, after 11 years, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. It does all feel like a bit of a half-measure while we're still having to sync up with Ubisoft Connect, though, and I wish the publisher would just let those of us who prefer Steam use Steam without the extra launcher-on-launcher action. As it is, and I'm not even someone who cares about achievements, it feels like Ubisoft has been hiving off little features that should really come as standard (and do in most games) and forcing you into using a launcher no-one wants for the complete package. Ubisoft's return to Steam generally and the commitment to updating its older titles should be welcomed, but I suspect Ubisoft Connect will linger around for some time to come regardless.

TOPICS

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."