Re: It turns out Live Service Isn't Guaranteed Money after all

On Sat, 19 Jul 2025 12:32:17 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>
  So there is, slowly, some awareness amongst the publishers that
live-service isn't the cure-all to the financial struggles many
companies are facing.

Then again, there's always an exception, and whaddaya know, Ubisoft
insists on being "it". Back away from live-service mechanics? No way!
After all, says Ubisoft in their most recent financial report,
"monetization within premium games makes the player experience more
fun!"*

And you know, they aren't actually lying. The monetizations DO make
their games more fun... but only because Ubisoft drains the enjoyment
out of their games with mechanics that all but demand you choose
betwein either grinding through tedious and repetitive gameplay, or
paying up to get the goodies. "Paying us for mouthwash makes this
shit-sandwich taste less disgusting!" is a true statement too** but it
doesn't make me want to eat the sandwich or pay you for the 'relief',
Ubisoft.

   [Other fun stuff from the financial report: They also still
    consider blockchain /Web3 as a part of their high-growth
    long-term investment games package. Also, for what it's
    worth, I saw no mention of the recent court case against
    them and their executives for the harrasment and abuse of
    employees. Admittedly, the case was against the executives
    directly and not the corporation, but you'd still think it
    might merit a paragraph in potential risks chapter (there's
    a bit about the toxicity of players, but nothing about the
    Ubisoft C-levels]


The whole thing is almost worth (yet another) "Oh Ubisoft" post* ;-)








--------     
* Sorry, it's a PDF, but you can find the quote on page 10
https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/8aefmxkxpxwl/2jOPqNEzotGX0odqDUt5jr/57f0ba952c3be14b38ba97a02b17c119/Ent_AGM_2025.07.10_URD_GB_Interactif_def.pdf

** well, I assume it's true, I've never tried that particular
combination ;-)

* but I'll spare you the bother and  hide it in this followup to a
thread you probably won't read. ;-)