Ubisoft confirms “decommisioning” of multiple games amid Assassin’s Creed review-bomb

Assassin’s Creed fans are review-bombing the spin-off game Assassin’s Creed Liberation that’s set to be rendered unplayable in just two months. 

Take a trip to the Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD Steam page (opens in new tab), and you’ll be met with a message that reads, “At the request of the publisher, Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD is no longer available for sale on Steam.” What’s worse is that if you’ve previously bought the game, you’ll find yourself unable to play it in just a few weeks as it “will not be accessible following September 1st, 2022.”

Ubisoft hasn’t given the reason behind its decision, but the date does coincide with the company’s plan to pull the plug on the online services for some of its older games. Still, as Liberation HD is a single-player-only game, its sudden delisting is an odd move by the publisher, especially so considering you won’t be able to play it even if you’ve parted with cash to do so.

The Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD Steam reviews show that overall the game has received a “mixed” reception from fans. Unsurprisingly, recent reviews have been “mostly negative” in light of Ubisoft’s actions. “I basically bought a digital paperweight. Thanks, Ubi,” said one reviewer. Another wrote, “Great reason to never buy anything from Ubisoft ever again.” This sentiment is shared by many Steam users, including Spider9928, who said, “Ubisoft, I won’t be purchasing another game from you until you can confirm that we can play the games we bought and owned. Until then, I am done with you.”

Assassin’s Creed 3 Liberation (opens in new tab) originally launched in 2012 as a PS Vita exclusive. The remake arrived two years later on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. A spin-off of Assassin’s Creed 3 (opens in new tab), the game tells the tale of Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, the series’ first female protagonist, and her fight against the Templars. For those still wanting to experience Aveline’s adventure on Steam, Assassin’s Creed Liberation is included as part of Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered (opens in new tab). At the time of writing, this version is still available and seemingly unaffected.

Following Ubisoft’s decision to turn off the multiplayer servers for 15 of its games, one developer is fighting against the publisher to keep its game online (opens in new tab). Ubisoft Mainz plans to keep the full Anno 2070 experience intact by using some of its own development resources to upgrade the game’s ageing infrastructure to ensure its online services remain alive and kicking.

Not sure which games in Ubisoft’s long-running stealth series are worth your time? Wonder no more, as we’ve ranked the best Assassin’s Creed games (opens in new tab).