PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Right now, the digital distribution market is arguably Steam against the world. But EA and Ubisoft are hoping to change that.
Ubisoft has announced it is to open up its uPlay service to third-party publishers for the first time, which will see games from firms incuding EA, Bohemia Interactive, Warner Bros., Telltale Games and more become available on the service.
Likewise, EA is set to accept Ubisoft’s titles onto its Origin download service, including the likes of Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry 3.
It’s more of a significant move for Ubisoft given that EA has offered third-party titles through its Origin service for a while now.
Still, the deal between two of the biggest games publishers is a significant one, as the pair attempt to wrestle their way into greater success within the digital games market, and essentially loosen the grip that Valve’s rival service Steam has on the market.
However, the market is progressively becoming overcrowded and fragmented with such services, a factor that greatly benefits Steam. Gamers continuously flock to the service over rivals, such as EA’s and Ubisoft’s given its history as a long standing and trusted name in the market.
It’s no secret that a large number of gamers using both EA’s Origin and Ubisoft’s uPlay services are forced to do so as a result of DRM restricted content.
Whilst both publishers team up in the hopes of building a greater audience, it’s still difficult to see them out perform Steam at its own game.
