Ubi catalog to roll out on Valve platform once again

Following on from recent rumors and speculation, publisher Ubisoft has confirmed that it will be rolling out its catalog of recent releases in a return to Valve's popular PC storefront, Steam. The lead title will be Viking adventure Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which will ?arrive on the Steam platform December 6.

"We're constantly evaluating how to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are, while providing a consistent player ecosystem through Ubisoft Connect," said Ubisoft in a statement to Eurogamer. "Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Anno 1800, and Roller Champions are among the Ubisoft?? titles that will be releasing o??n Steam."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eCw20F0zmA

Ubisoft had been regularly releasing its games on Steam since the platform's advent back in 2003, but chose to separate from the storefront in 2019 to publish its wares through its in-house Uplay service �and then later via Epic Games Store. Ubisoft's return to Steam was heralded by several database leaks spotted by known Ubisoft leaker YoobieRE, before the publisher finally confirmed its storefront comeback yesterda??y.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla, originally launched in 2020, is getting set to receive its final DLC update �titled The Last Chapter. As such, this is a smart time for the game to make its Steam debut, allowing new players to pick up the epic adventure alongside all previously released DLC content. The next Assassin's Creed title, Mirage, is currently in development at Ubisoft.

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Get your skates on

There is increasing evidence that Ubisoft is getting set to make its return to PC's popular d??igital retail platform, Steam. The publisher essentially left the platform in 2019, choosing to release all of its PC out via its in-house Uplay service and later on Epic Games Store.

The first sign that Ubisoft might be heading back to chez Valve came earlier in November, when a Steam port of Assassin's Creed Valhalla was found lurking in the Ubisoft Connect database. The epic Norse adventure, which first launch??ed back in 2020, will be receiving its final update next month, and thus is a prime candidate for a "complete edition" debut on Steam in time for the holidays.

But Ubisoft's comeback plans were practically confirmed yesterday, when then colorful wheelie racer Roller Champions made a brief appearance on the Steamdb. Initially spotted by known Ubisoft leaker YoobieRE, the free-to-play title swiftly had its status hidden shortly thereafter. But, given the clarity of these two leaks, it seems highly likely that we can expect an official announcement from Ubisoft soon. As a somewhat-struggling multiplayer-centric title, a new Steam port could only serve to widen the Roller Champions audience and benefit the game as a whole.

Ubisoft is currently working on Assassin's Creed Mirage, which will launch for PC and consoles in 2023.

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Have the wheels fallen off?

[Update: In a new statement, Ubisoft has denied that Roller Champions is getting "canceled" after the current season ends. It did, however, note that it is currently planning on extending the current season, "Disco Fever," indefinitely as it works on a litany of? issues, implements cross-invites, an??d puts together a major update to address all player concerns. You can read the full statement in the tweet below.]

//twitter.com/RollerChampions/status/1551??627079267110912?s=20&t=hS60y3??z6IuIqRYsnsJRS3w

According to rumors circulating the information superhighway, Ubisoft's futuristic multiplayer release Roller Champions is already getting set to hit the bricks, mere ?months after its arrival. The free-to-play title, which launched in beta in summer 2021, only received its official launch in May of this year.

The rumor comes from industry pundit and noted spoiler Jeff Grubb on the XboxEra podcast. Speaking for one of his many sources, Grubb suggests that Ubisoft is getting set to pull the plug on Roller Champions once it reaches its third season. ??While Ubisoft recently noted in a financial call that the title was coasting pretty well, developer Ubisoft Montreal has been very quiet in regards to updates, while the player count on Steam dwindles in double ??figures.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cmrNF0QtaI

Given that the rumors broke over the weekend, we are yet to hear official word from Ubisoft itself either way. Perhaps today the studio will openly address the story, (or it may just stay suspiciously quiet). Either way, the fate that might be about to befall Roller Champions is becoming a common story. As developers and publishers chase the multiplayer dream, an abundance of titles �all of which had money, resources, and the t??alent of the?? respective studios' developers poured into them �??are find??ing themselves all but abandoned in double quick time.

A multiplayer game is only as strong as its community and, if you cannot find one, then there is no salvaging the release. And that's a real shame for the individuals tasked with creating the title. Multiplayer ??games, generally, become hobbies, and video game fans only have so much time to pick and choose what they want to play. The sooner the industry realizes that the gaming community has neithe?r the time nor desire to dedicate itself to every single "long-life" F2P multiplayer title on the block, the less time and talent will be wasted developing projects that publishers will lose immediate interest in.

Roller Champions is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo S??witch.

Ubi??soft’s Roller Champions will soon be cancelled, it’s claimed [VGC]

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Time to step into the rink

Ubisoft's extreme sports competition Roller Champions is finally rolling out. The competitive team sports game ?will go live next week on May 25 as a free-to-play title.

The action kicks off on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, as well as Xbox Series X|S and PS5 via backward compatibility. Roller Champions will also be co??ming to Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna, though it'll be at a later date.

The roller derby action sports game Roller Champions was first announced by Ubisoft a few years ago. Ever since, it's been rolling through a few technical tests and delays, popping up every now and then before disappearing into the night. Now, at least, the high-octane roller bas?h is finally debuting.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUAWz0jH1A4

The general flow of Roller Champions i?s two teams of roller skaters competing to reach five points. They pick up these points by racing laps around the arena with the ball in their possession, cashing them in when they dunk it in the goal. There's wallriding, tackling, and general action-sports moves to cause chaos along the way.

Push it to the brink

It looks like Roller Champions will also have the features of most modern F2P games. Play online matches in quick play alone or with pals. There are maps to unlock and time-limited modes, as well as cosmetics to customize your avatar's appearance. And of course, seasons with special cosmetics linked to them. The kickoff season starts the day Roller Champions launches.

The nice part is that Roller Champions isn't just free-to-play, but also cross-play and cross-progression, so it's easy enough to hop and check it out on any platform. There's also some social hangout areas, with practice rinks and minigames. It's a bit of a sudden surprise, but Ubisoft's Roller Champions looks to finally put some w?h??eels down in the arena next week.

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Keep on rolling on

Remember Roller Champions, Ubisof?t's long-in-development competitive sports title? It's now aiming for a later window than previously expected.

The three-on-three roller-skating game has been pushed back a few times since its first reveal in 2019. It was expected in early 2021 at some point, but has popped on and off the radar since then. Now, it looks like Roller Champions has another delay, now p??ushing it o?ut to late spring.

In an update on the Roller Champions Discord that's been spreading around (via Tom Henderson), the team says it needs "a bit? more ?time" to deliver.

"We are hard at work for the wait to be worth your confidence in Roller Champions as the game is getting closer to launch every day," the statement reads. "We know that many of you have been following the development of the game for a while now and to showcase our appreciation of your continued support, we wanted to make sure you get this news first: Roller Champions will be releasing this late spring."

According to the statement, Roller Champions is in the final stage of production.

Our earliest impressions of Roller Champions were not very strong. It's certainly a?? novel concept, but it sounds like, at least in 2019, it wasn't quite coming together. The high-octane sports game has been in development for a while now though, and while a sign of life is pro??bably appreciated by those holding out for its launch, it's also been a while.

Launching Roller Champions will at least get one more game off the docket for Ubisoft, which has other titles like Skull & Bones and Beyond Good & Evil 2 still drifting. We'll see whether Roller Champions finally gets a full launch later this year.

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