Ubisoft+ would be a great addition to Xbox Game Pass, but will it happen?
EA Play joined Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in 2020, but will Ubisoft do the same?
Could Ubisoft+ be coming to Xbox Game Pass? While its arrival on Microsoft's subscription service is only rumored so far, it's a rumor that has certainly made our ears prick up.
Xbox Game Pass, often referred to as ‘Netflix for games’, is Microsoft’s gaming subscription service. It offers players the chance to access a range of games from different publishers and services all rolled into one monthly subscription price.
Many gamers love the choice the Xbox Game Pass offers. It’s also a fun way to incentivize breaking out of your gaming comfort zone, with around 200 curated titles all at your fingertips. Plus, there’s no risk of buyer’s remorse, since the games are included with your membership.
Ubisoft+, meanwhile, is Ubisoft's own game subscription service (formerly known as UPlay+), giving players access to over 100 different Ubisoft titles, with huge gaming properties such as Assassin's Creed, Watch Dogs, and FarCry. Getting to play the recently-released Assassin's Creed Valhalla, especially when a next-gen upgrade for the stealth-action game arrives on Xbox Series X, would certainly sweeten the deal for many would-be Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
According to a round-up of rumors on Xbox Worlds, it could soon be bundled into the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. There's nothing to back up the claim, per se – nor any of the other rumors in the list, which include Project xCloud coming to new Samsung TVs and iOS in 2021.
A grain of truth
In general, this rumor list doesn't have much to back it up – so why are we lending the rumors any credence?
Well, in 2020 EA teamed up with Xbox to add its own subscription service, called EA Play, to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription – this is a premium version of Game Pass with lots of bonus content and more services on offer. The addition packs in The Sims games, FIFA 20, Anthem, and many more titles made under the expansive EA banner.
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This makes Ubisoft's similar subscription service an obvious fit for the Game Pass Ultimate tier too – and even if the rumors don't have weight to them, it's an idea that we wouldn't be surprised to see in the works at Microsoft.
Becca is a contributor to TechRadar, a freelance journalist and author. She’s been writing about consumer tech and popular science for more than ten years, covering all kinds of topics, including why robots have eyes and whether we’ll experience the overview effect one day. She’s particularly interested in VR/AR, wearables, digital health, space tech and chatting to experts and academics about the future. She’s contributed to TechRadar, T3, Wired, New Scientist, The Guardian, Inverse and many more. Her first book, Screen Time, came out in January 2021 with Bonnier Books. She loves science-fiction, brutalist architecture, and spending too much time floating through space in virtual reality.