Ubisoft‘s director of game subscriptions, Philippe Tremblay, has said that players need to become comfortable not owning their games in order for subscription services like PS Plus and Game Pass to grow. Game ownership and preservation have both been hot button topics in the games industry, with companies vying for a slice of the subscription services market.
Ubisoft subscriptions boss said the quiet but obvious part out loud
Speaking to GameIndustry.biz amid a revamp of the Ubisoft+ subscription service, Tremblay said that gamers are still used to owning their games and haven’t transitioned to subscriptions as quickly as consumers of other forms of entertainment. Tremblay says that this shift “needs to happen” in order for subscription services to grow.
“That’s a transformation that’s been a bit slower to happen [in games],” Tremblay explained, adding that gamers should be assured that they won’t lose their game progress and their time investment isn’t in vain if they don’t own a game. “You don’t lose what you’ve built in the game or your engagement with the game,” he continued. “So it’s about feeling comfortable with not owning your game.”
Game companies have, thus far, been reluctant in addressing game ownership particularly with reference to subscriptions, so Tremblay’s candidness has ended up ruffling some feathers.
