Ubisoft should give new Settlers 7 DLC away for free

I have always been a fan of Ubisoft and many of their games. Unlike some of their competition (read: Activision and Electronic Arts), Ubisoft isn’t running around with its head stuck up its arse and has always treated gamers well. They are still willing to create games for smaller audiences, do not have the reputation of abandoning their games shortly after release and have yet to buy and destroy a single, well-loved game development studio.

Earlier this year the company came under siege from gamers when they announced that their future games would require a permanent internet connection to the Ubisoft servers in order to work. One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to predict that at some point a DRM scheme like that will break and make people angry. Apart from not being able to play, it really drives home the fact that you don’t really own your game at all: Ubisoft controls your gaming fix, not you.

When Assassin’s Creed II was released, chaos ensued. Whatever the reasons, the servers were unavailable and many people could not play. To their credit, Ubisoft gave early buyers a free game from their store to make up for the inconvenience caused. With that simple gesture, Ubisoft showed that they cared.

When the release of Settlers 7: Paths to Kingdom fared a similar fate and thousands of players were unable to play their game for days on end, some hoped for the same gesture. It took a few weeks to resolve all the issues but Ubisoft remained quiet and their customer support ignored inquiries as much as they had throughout the ordeal.

One would think that releasing a new, paid DLC yesterday would have been a great opportunity for Ubisoft to make amends for their faulty servers and poor customer support. Giving it away for free, even if the DLC is only Euro 3.99, would at least show that our problems have not gone unnoticed.

Alas, it seems Ubisoft too is heading towards where the sun doesn’t shine.