300°

AC:Unity is broken and needs to be recalled and refunded

MWEB GameZone writes: "The fact is, Ubisoft needs to admit this game is utterly broken, recall it from retail and offer a no-questions-asked refund to all who bought it. Recalling and refunding the game is the only honourable thing to do."

plut0nash3570d ago

It's time the franchise ended.

lord zaid3570d ago

There's nothing wrong with the franchise. The concept is fine. But bugs will ruin anything.

freshslicepizza3570d ago

game breaking bugs are the worse but why would they recall the game now? the author thinks its ok to just ignore all the thousands of man hours that went into this game.

what we need is better quality control. if the game is broken, stop selling it immediately. fix it, then sell it again. those that bought it offer a refund but it shouldn't just be pulled and not fixed.

same thing with games like driveclub and halo mc collection. stop selling the game until it gets fixed properly.

morganfell3570d ago

It does not matter how many man hours went into a product. This acceptance of non-functional software, that is, a failure to operate in the manner in which it was advertised, is unforgivable. It is bad enough that this is prevalent on PCs, which on the whole consist of multiple configurations but to continue having these issues on locked platforms such as the PS4 and Xbox One is criminal.

As I stated before, the place to begin isn't some BS online petition but rather here:

https://www.ftccomplaintass...

Several of us, spearheaded a movement years ago and Activision was forced to comply.

freshslicepizza3570d ago

its unforgivable only if you cannot do anything about it. get a refund, move on. if a refund is not offered then you as a consumer have rights to a working product. that isn't what i am arguing over. im arguing over the basis that this game should be recalled. it should only be recalled if they cant fix it and its broken for everyone. bugs sadly have become part of game releases. they can try and fix those but if a game doesn't work then return it.

are all console and pc gamers unable to finish the game? no. does the performance struggle? yes but it is playable. can they fix it completely? we'll see

morganfell3570d ago (Edited 3570d ago )

You are not paying for a game to function..."down the road", "eventually", or "when they can get to it".

I do not buy a car and then come back months later to drive it off the lot once the mechanics manage to get the car to start or run correctly.

In most places you cannot get a full refund for a title and as regards digital versions...not happening 99% of the time. This pattern of broken games is showing no signs of abating. This message needs to go to Ubisoft in the only manner which they will understand. It will serve to correct, somewhat, their behavior as well as that of the other errant publishers.

For the good of the gamers and the industry this needs to be done.

poppinslops3570d ago

What about Fallout or Skyrim?

It's been years since they released and they're still riddled with bugs and glitches... Yet they're considered by many (myself included) to be two of the best games ever.

Plenty of great games are buggy... At least Ubisoft are working to resolve these issues.

If glitches really do ruin your experience, the solution is simple... Don't pre-order games.

morganfell3570d ago

I am not excusing past games. They should not have been so riddled with issues either. But we are now reaching the point where patch sizes are becoming absurd, issues so prevalent they should never have passed QA, and something must be done to reset the practice. It will eventually creep in again and need to be addressed in the future but for now if nothing is done, something serious and meaningful outside of a few people returning a title, then the situation will only worsen.

As long as companies can take in money while selling incomplete software they will continue to do so and as we have seen will commit such actions at an ever increasing rate and with elevated issues.

Sillicur3570d ago

Agreed. Althought AC: Unity feels like they are really just milking a franchise instead of delivering anything remotely resembling a game.

zero_gamer3569d ago

"its unforgivable only if you cannot do anything about it."

It's unforgivable to release a shoddy product that ends up wasting everyone's time (publishers, developers, retailers, and gamers alike) instead of a working game that gamers can enjoy. We can't let this slide if we don't want this to define the future of major game releases.

If readers find typos in every second page of a major book release, you can expect public outrage and criticism.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3569d ago
HanCilliers3570d ago

Gosh, no need to throw out the baby with the bath water. They've given us plenty of good games

MasterCornholio3570d ago (Edited 3570d ago )

What a waste of a perfectly good baby.

I want my baby back baby back baby ribs.

;)

morganfell3570d ago (Edited 3570d ago )

Why not Han? This isn't a one time incident but rather the latest in a growing pattern, not only by Ubisoft but by publishers in general. The practice has now reached the level where it is unacceptable. The only way Ubisoift and these other developers will learn their lesson is from a sharp blow to the head.

kurruptor3570d ago

Morgan what other Ubisoft game was full of bugs and not playable?

Pintheshadows3570d ago

I am guessing you don't play many Ubisoft games on PC Kurruptor.

starchild3570d ago

So should we stop buying games from Sony and Microsoft too? Because they are guilty of the same things.

In any case, AC Unity might be a glitchier game than past games in the franchise, but it ran fine for me and I didn't have a single game breaking bug. I played it and enjoyed it quite a lot.

I'm not saying that I don't want them to avoid such glitches in future games, but I can't help but feel that some people are blowing things out of proportion.

kurruptor3570d ago

No, I don't play Ubisoft games on PC. My question still stands. What games other are unplayable? Bad performance does not mean unplayable.

If Ubisoft has a history of bad optimization on the PC, and you continue to buy their games.... that is on you, not them.

If the game is completely unplayable, take it back to the store for a refund.... it is simple.

DarthZoolu3569d ago

kurruptor don't be stupid you know damn well you can't return opened games unless they are used.

zero_gamer3569d ago

Good games like AC4, Far Cry 3, and Rayman Origins, for example, have nothing to do with AC: Unity being a broken game on release. There is no shortage of games broken on release and remain broken after gigabytes worth of patches.

If you're a frequent game buyer such as I am, there are so many broken games you can stand. Why jump through all these hoops to play a game when you can just buy a damn game and play it with little issue? Never mind, that is too good to be true. All Ubisoft games of interest will be grabbed off the used rack at GameStop.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3569d ago
MasterCornholio3570d ago (Edited 3570d ago )

The franchise doesnt have to end but they need to spend more time developing quality Assassins Creed games.

P.S I platinumed black flag so I do like the franchise. But I refuse to buy Unity due to its horrible framerate and game breaking glitches.

HanCilliers3570d ago

Exactly, we've had plenty of good AC games

skulz73570d ago

Agreed. I respect the originality of the series, I mean it's the only historical open world franchise out there. It doesn't need to end, Ubisoft just have to get their sh*t together or they will really really suffer in the long run. Ubisoft make incredibly intriguing franchises but they honesty need to sort out their quality control.

ceejaa3570d ago

I liked the game. Three trophies from platinum and the glitches i exprienced wasnt enough to turn me off.

Letthewookiewin3570d ago

Thats what Ive been saying. The NPC's glitch in and out right in front of you. It looks like crap.

Nodoze3570d ago

The problem is that this whole ordeal still nets Ubisoft a tidy profit. They are getting holiday sales from those not in the know. It was released regardless of state purely for this reason.

Perhaps the next game should feature assassinations of the Ubi exec team. Those that place profit above all else are destroying this industry.

Kemicalbeliefs3570d ago

The problem is even if the game was 100% fixed, people would still moan and grumble about anything. Seems to be the in thing these days to moan.

Games have glitches and I've noticed stuff like this in many top games nobody has moaned about it like the scale of this game. Seems to be more of a trend these days probably to give each other reach arounds.

pelida3570d ago

No. The problem is Ubisoft sold us a broken game

Kemicalbeliefs3570d ago

So how come I've beat the game and collected everything quite fine?

Broken means doesn't work. Yes it's had its faults but by eck it's been hyped.

LoveSpuds3570d ago

I also clocked around 35 hours into Unity and had no problems either. It looked incredible and ran as well as any other AC game I played (I played them all on PS3 or PS4).

The game was pretty good too, my only real gripes are with the game design itself, namely that there are too many collectibles in the game, but this could just be my OCD-like need to collect everything in games.

Ubi have given me some amazing entertainment this lasy year with Rayman being my personal fave current gen game. Factor in Child of Light, Valiant Hearts, Watchdogs, FarCry4 and AC Blackflag and I have no complaints at all.

1nsomniac3570d ago (Edited 3570d ago )

Do you people not get tired of blaming people who complain about paying for broken products & false promises.

You do realise just how ridiculous & spineless it makes you all look when you say people should accept these products & just keep quiet, right?

starchild3570d ago

Do you people ever get tired of the exaggeration and outright lies that you spread? The game is not broken. Do you know the definition of broken? I doubt you have even played the game.

No, people shouldn't keep quiet, they just shouldn't be such morons. A rational, factual criticism is going to be much more persuasive than crying, being hyperbolic and just making stuff up.

1nsomniac3569d ago (Edited 3569d ago )

I absolutely agree criticisms should be 100% factual. Do you not think that that makes you look even more stupid when the developers themselves have also publicly claimed it's broken but they are fixing it.

It's absolutely amazing what you people choose to ignore while telling others to keep their facts quietly to themselves...

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170°

Hedge fund calls for further layoffs at Ubisoft after shares slump

A minority investor in Ubisoft has called on the company to go private amid a shares slump following the release of Star Wars Outlaws.

TheNamelessOne12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

Wait. So you're telling me spending years and years mainly producing high budget, mid games hasn't been working out for them?

staticall11d ago

And the weird thing is, this do-same-thing-over-and-over-an d-expect-different mentality is coming from the company, that was partially responsible for Vaas and his famous quote: «Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Insanity is doing the exact same fucking thing over and over again, expecting shit to change. That is crazy.»

Was it foreshadowing?

Flewid63811d ago

This started when AC games ditched stealth for RPG. You can see the downgrade in the visuals when compared, but all 3 sold well so I think they kept saying "fck it, people will praise mid games".

Once it started creeping into their other franchises, it all went downhill. I have Ubisoft + so its interesting going thru their whole library of greats just to see when the decline starts.

TheNamelessOne11d ago

The last 3 games I bought of theirs were AC Syndicate, Division 2 and Immortals Fenyx Rising. They CAN make goods games, but they're coming less and less frequently.

kennyg12311d ago

Why are you still giving them your money??

ElaBosak10d ago

Your argument here does not make any sense considering the RPG AC games are some of the most successful games in the industry.

Michiel198910d ago (Edited 10d ago )

@ElaBosak, genshin impact is one of the most succesfull games in the industry ever, does that now mean gaas/gacha is the best gamedesign?

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RiseNShine11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

I don't understand, I thought buggy woke AAAA games were the future, and yet the share is sinking almost 40% in complete free fall since the release of SW Outlaws ($3.76 on 30 Aug, - $2.55 today), it's brutal.

neutralgamer199211d ago

Ubisoft has really gone downhill because of the Guillemot family’s bad decisions. They’ve completely lost touch with what gamers actually want, focusing way too much on microtransactions, buggy releases, and XP boosters. It’s like they think these quick cash grabs are the future of gaming, and they don’t care that most of us aren’t comfortable with the idea of not owning our games anymore. The stupid comments they’ve made, along with the idiotic choices, have led to a massive drop in their stock—over 40% since *Star Wars Outlaws* launched. Honestly, I think the only way Ubisoft can improve is if the Guillemots sell the company. They’re holding it back.

Jingsing11d ago

Yeah, They have gone into that downward spiral of bad products and trying to chase every penny to make up for it while being anti consumer in the process.

neutralgamer199211d ago

All these companies want to squeeze very penny out of their customers instead of over delivering like a lot of them used to do

Goozex11d ago

Go woke you go broke! The gamers have spoken

IAMRealHooman11d ago

or its a buggy bland game, with horrible AI, bare bones mechanics, awful animations, and a predictable boring story

northpaws11d ago

Woke is not the main problem... Ubi games are just so boring now...

Walalon11d ago

Yeah... Woke it's just one of the list why Bugisoft it's struggling so much.

Charlieboy33311d ago

Woke IS a big reason because people are being hired based on their skin colour, gender, what they like to screw and how much they like to play pretend in their heads......instead of their actual skill. Which is why you get a boring, buggy, technically all round crap product like this and all the other steaming piles like it.

Mr_cheese11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

When creativity is replaced by a formula, sooner or later people tend to clock on, especially if the end result is continued mediocrity.

The IPs that ubisoft own have and had so much potential to be more than what we got, it's crazy. Watchdogs is a great example. How refreshingly different that looked when the original was announced and what did they do? Chased away all originality and replaced it with what ever insert people choose to call it.

Make less games if you're making too many but really put the time and focus into making each release standout in its own way instead of being generic reskinned worlds.

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140°

Ubisoft Faces Pressure to Go Private as Share Prices Plummet

Ubisoft's significant shareholder, AJ Investments, is pressuring it to go private. The shareholder suggests a cost-cutting plan and advises replacing the company's CEO, Yves Guillemot.

Read Full Story >>
tech4gamers.com
XiNatsuDragnel15d ago

Ubisoft needs to be an indie studio or just become like cd project.

isarai14d ago

Going private might honestly be the best

neutralgamer199214d ago

To go private they would need a lot of money so a better option is get acquired by someone and get rid of the current family who controls the company. Nepotism in that company up and down the leadership ladder

CrimsonWing6914d ago

Hey Ubisoft, have you maybe thought to start listening to consumers now?

Demetrius14d ago

Doubt that'll ever happen lmfao

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400°

Ubisoft share price falls to 10-year low after Star Wars Outlaws launch

Ubisoft's stocks have taken a hit following the release of Star Wars Outlaws, having fallen by more than 10% in two day…

Read Full Story >>
gamesindustry.biz
isarai15d ago

Cool! At this point i just want all these trash "AAA" publishers to die. They've more than earned it with all the lies and consciously instilling what is essentially gambling addictions into customers including children. Let'em burn, we'll be better off for it.

LordoftheCritics15d ago

I mean they made it happen for themselves.

Well done I guess??

isarai15d ago

I don't get the sudden surge of Ubisoft Defense on here lately, i swear there's bots out here defending them or something 😅

VenomUK14d ago

If Ubisoft includes more diverse characters so gamers can see themselves on screen, then it will appeal to more people.

Obscure_Observer would like the option to have blue-hair options for their characters.

MajorLazer15d ago

I wouldn't want them to die, because that's 20,000 people out of a job but I would hope they see it as a massive wakeup call.

Crows9015d ago

20,000 prospects for new indie studios or support for other good established devs. Could be a huge win for the industry in the long run.

Losing a job isn't fun but it happens. Adults deal with it.

seanpitt2315d ago

Most of there games is all quantity over quality.. it puts people off star wars for eg looks good had some great ideas but the main execution was done so poorly and the combat needs to be better! The same team that did the division games which had great combat and gameplay!

Skull and bones wow that should have been cancelled, AC Valhalla was a disaster in terms of the grind and how it felt so boring after 10 hours! Watchdogs was very poor

Let's just hope shadows is there Saviour odessy was a good game overall not much AC in it though!

This has all been brought on themselves bad management and direction with mediocre games

Michiel198914d ago

I think they got a sum of money from a country to help with development for Skull and Bones, they had to pay them back if they were going to cancel it. I imagine that's the only reason they kept going with development

AshleeEmerson12d ago

I agree with this, (I know they make plenty of good games) the only game I can give high praise to is Avatar Pandora; this game nailed it for me. One of the best to come out of this generation.

neutralgamer199214d ago

They introduced XP boosters because they were making their games more grinding on purpose. The artificial enemy leveling system made sure no matter what you ere always a level or 2 below the enemies. 3 day early releases, 5-10 different editions of each game for release

UBI and WB games needs to be bought out by someone. Both are full of greed

BISHOP-BRASIL14d ago

You think a company looking at acquisitions of this caliber somehow would come with a less greed management? LOL

EazyC14d ago

The best thing that could happen to videogames is a big fat crash

jznrpg14d ago

Instead of them dying off it would be better for them to change their practices and give gamers what they want

neutralgamer199214d ago

A crash would bring on real changes but a crash would never happen because of how big this industry has become. End of the day way too many investors get into buying stocks only for money. They could careless about quality of games all they want to see is a spreadsheet full of profits

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 12d ago
darthv7215d ago

Just about time for MS to step in and consolidate the industry even further..... /s

just_looken15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

ten-cent/ owns 49% so they would take the rest
https://www.globenewswire.c...

Jingsing14d ago (Edited 14d ago )

That would essentially be like one arm of the US government owning Ubisoft and the other half being the Chinese government. Wouldn't happen unless the US force Tencent to sell their half. Which these days doesn't seem unommon. This why it is hard to see the difference between companies like Microsoft and Tencent and partly why they are not popular.

TheNamelessOne15d ago

And yet they make absolutely no changes to how they do things. Not going to feel bad for them. Would rather see their IP in fresh hands anyway.

DarXyde14d ago

I think that comes from the top down. It's a shame the talent would suffer.

CantThinkOfAUsername14d ago

Can you name a publisher that has money and talent to pump into these dormant IPs with uncertain outcome?

Are you happy with how TimeSplitters and Deus Ex ended up in 'fresh hands'?

TheNamelessOne14d ago

Embracer was a failed experiment that destroyed themselves spending money they didn't have.

Chocoburger15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Good, burn yourselves up.
Ubisoft, a long time ago you were a great publisher, but over the past decade you've gone out of your way to create these protracted, filler experiences, and pack them with micro-trash-actions.

You intentionally create a problem with grindy slog fake 'RPG' games, and then you sell the solution for $10 in order to accrue EXP at what should have been the normal rate. Another $10 to accrue resources at a normal rate as well.

Create a problem, and charge extra for the solution. Nope, you don't get my money anymore. And the people who defend your shitty games don't realize that they're screwing themselves over, wasting their lives on low-end junk-tier games.

porkChop15d ago

Honestly, good. Ubisoft has continued to ignore its customers and has repeatedly doubled down on the kinds of things gamers don't want. They've had every opportunity to turn things around and refused. The devs themselves are super talented, but the management and the Guillemot family both need to go. Just last year Yves told all the devs that 2023 was a crucial year and that the ball was in their court to deliver on their games. Yves, you've been holding the ball the entire time.

jaymacx15d ago

I agree with you mostly, I do see that some people must have been buying the micro transactions at some point for them to keep doing it. I would put Take Two in the same category. Only difference is 2k games sell very well. Ubisoft however gets the most attention for complaints because the quality of their games has dropped and are in desperate need of redirection.

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