Ubisoft games getting cross-play and cross-progression via new Ubisoft Connect service
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, more.
Ubisoft has announced it's combining its long-running Uplay and the Ubisoft Club services into one free uber-service, called Ubisoft Connect, which will support cross-play and cross-progression for a raft of upcoming games.
Ubisoft Connect, which the publisher describes as an "ecosystem of players services for Ubisoft games across all platforms", will launch alongside Watch Dogs Legion on 29th October, and offers a combination of loyalty scheme and community features.
Similar to the current Ubisoft Club, Connect will enable players to earn various rewards as they work their way through their purchased games. "It's very simple!", explains the publisher on its FAQ, "Your Ubisoft Account has a level, which can increase by completing challenges and earning Ubisoft Connect XP. The more you play, the more you earn XP and level up".
Players will earn Units with each new level reached (there's no upper level limit) and can spend these to unlock unique rewards in their Ubisoft Connect games, including weapon skins, costumes, and consumables.
All live games and new releases will support the loyalty scheme; however, rather than adapting the challenge system used by its back catalogue titles, Ubisoft has elected to give all rewards (totalling more than 1,000) from previous games to all players.
As for social features, while Ubisoft Connect will be largely familiar to Uplay users, the big new addition comes in the form of support for cross-play between PC and consoles, as well as cross-progression - enabling players to resume their saves on other platforms.
Ubisoft says the goal is to support cross-play for "most" of its multiplayer-enabled games, while cross-progression should work with its "newest releases", including Hyper Scape, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Immortals Fenyx Rising, and Riders Republic.
Ubisoft Connect will be accessible through PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia, iOS, Android, and web later this month, and you'll find more details on the official site.