Alright, let's get this straight. Ubisoft, a company that nickel-and-dimes you for every cosmetic item in Assassin's Creed, is suddenly giving away Immortals Fenyx Rising for free? Starting Thursday? Yeah, and I've got a bridge to sell you.
Here's the deal: Ubisoft is dangling Fenyx Rising like a digital carrot during their Black Friday sales. Just head to the Ubisoft Store, log in, and boom – "free" game. Of course, that "free" comes with the implicit agreement that you'll browse their "up to 90% off" deals, which, let's be real, are probably 5% off on games you actually want and 90% off on shovelware nobody remembers. Assassin's Creed Shadows at 40% off? Star Wars Outlaws for 70% off? The Division 2 for $7.50? Give me a break. It's all psychological warfare, people.
They're framing this as a celebration of five years of Ubisoft Connect, their cross-play, cross-progression platform. Which, okay, fine. But let's not forget the real reason. Immortals Fenyx Rising came out in 2020. It's old news. A "generally good reception" according to Metacritic, whatever that means. Polygon, in their infinite wisdom, said it "can't help from becoming a game that shoves you down a path." Translation: it's repetitive and lacks originality.
So, they're giving away a game that's past its prime to lure you into their ecosystem. A digital Trojan Horse, if you will. It's like that clearance rack at the back of the store that you have to wade through piles of garbage to find one decent shirt. Only in this case, the "garbage" is Ubi's back catalog and the "decent shirt" is... well, maybe there isn't a decent shirt.
And speaking of garbage, what about that earnings delay? Ubisoft pulled a fast one, delaying their earnings report at the last minute and requesting a trading freeze. What the hell is going on over there? "Due to legal regulations," they can't tell their own employees? That stinks of something rotten. Then they advertise Black Friday deals. That's like trying to distract a toddler with shiny keys while you sneak out of the room. Ubisoft delays its earnings at the last minute and requests a freeze on trading
Then there's the Tencent angle. Earlier this year, Ubisoft announced they're spinning off a bunch of their titles into a new subsidiary, with Tencent taking a 25% stake for $1.25 billion. So, basically, they're selling off pieces of themselves to stay afloat. Which, let's be real, isn't exactly a sign of a healthy company. Is Fenyx Rising being given away to pad user numbers before the Tencent deal finalizes? I wouldn't put it past 'em.
It's all connected, see? The "free" game, the delayed earnings, the Tencent investment... it's a carefully orchestrated dance to hide the fact that Ubisoft might be in deep trouble. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it's just a coincidence. But I doubt it.
And while we're on the subject of corporate shenanigans, don't even get me started on the price of printer ink these days. I swear, they practically give you the printer, then bleed you dry on the cartridges... but I digress.
Honestly, the whole situation feels like a slow-motion trainwreck. EA getting taken private for $55 billion by a group including Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund? Now Ubisoft with the Tencent deal and the delayed earnings? Is this the future of gaming? A handful of mega-corporations gobbling up everything in sight?
I don't know, man. It's depressing. I miss the days when games were made by small teams of passionate developers, not faceless corporations driven by profit margins. But those days are long gone, ain't they?
