Why Ubisoft Left Steam in the First Place
Ubisoft's break from Steam was not a sudden accident. Beginning around 2019, the publisher started treating Steam as an optional distribution channel rather than the default home for its PC games. Titles such as Tom Clancy's The Division 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint were positioned around Ubisoft Connect, then still known as Uplay, and Epic Games Store exclusivity. The calculation was straightforward: Valve took a standard 30 percent cut of sales, while Epic offered a much lower commission and Ubisoft's own launcher promised complete control over the customer relationship. If players could be persuaded to buy directly from Ubisoft or through a partner with better terms, the company could keep more revenue, collect more data, and push subscriptions such as Ubisoft+.
At the time, this looked like a serious strategic bet. Every major publisher dreamed of building its own platform, not merely selling games on someone else's. Ubisoft had a large catalog, recognizable franchises, and a loyal audience that already used Uplay for patches, achievements, and multiplayer. Executives likely imagined that players would follow the games wherever they went. The company could avoid Steam's review system, control discounts, bundle its own services, and avoid paying a middleman. The problem was that this strategy treated distribution as a bargaining chip rather than a service. Steam was not just a store; it was a social network, a library manager, a recommendation engine, and a set of familiar tools. By leaving, Ubisoft saved on commission but risked losing the casual audience that never opens a second launcher unless it has no other choice.
The Cracks in the Launcher-Exclusive Model
The launcher-exclusive model began to crack because it misunderstood why people use Steam. Steam's power lies in network effects: friends lists, chat, cloud saves, achievements, workshops, reviews, refunds, family sharing, and a massive storefront that makes discovery effortless. Ubisoft Connect could do some of those things, but it could not replicate the social gravity of Steam. Many players already had hundreds or thousands of games in their Steam libraries. Asking them to split their collections across multiple accounts, overlays, and login screens created friction. That friction was tolerable for a must-play blockbuster, but it was fatal for mid-sized releases that depended on impulse purchases and word of mouth.
Epic Games Store exclusivity also failed to fully replace Steam. Epic offered developers a better revenue split and occasional funding guarantees, but its store lacked the community features and shopping habits that Steam had spent nearly two decades building. Ubisoft games on Epic still required Ubisoft Connect, meaning players had to manage two launchers at once. The result was a worst-of-both-worlds experience: the publisher gave up Steam's audience without offering a dramatically better consumer experience. Over time, sales data and player complaints made the cost clear. Games that might have found a second life through Steam sales, user reviews, and Steam Deck compatibility were instead hidden behind login walls. Ubisoft's financial pressures, project delays, and cancellations only made the absence from Steam harder to justify. When Assassin's Creed Valhalla arrived on Steam in December 2022, it was not a symbolic gesture; it was an admission that the exclusive launcher strategy had reached its limit.
What the Steam Return Means for Players and Preservation
For players, Ubisoft's return to Steam is mostly good news, but it is not a complete victory. The biggest benefit is convenience. A Ubisoft game purchased on Steam appears in the same library as the rest of a player's collection, can use Steam Cloud, supports Steam achievements where implemented, and is easier to install on a Steam Deck. Regional pricing, refund policies, and seasonal sales also become available through Valve's ecosystem. That matters especially in markets where Steam is the default payment method and where alternative storefronts are less trusted or less accessible. It also helps multiplayer titles, because a Steam release can bring a fresh wave of players who would never have installed Ubisoft Connect on their own.
Preservation is another important factor. Launcher-exclusive games depend on the long-term survival of a publisher's own client. If Ubisoft Connect changes, breaks, or is eventually retired, access to those games can become uncertain. Steam is not immortal, but it has a stronger track record of keeping older titles downloadable and playable. Steam versions are also more likely to receive community patches, mods, and compatibility fixes, particularly through Proton on Linux and Steam Deck. That said, many Ubisoft games on Steam still require a Ubisoft account and may launch Ubisoft Connect anyway. The return to Steam therefore improves discovery and library management, but it does not eliminate the publisher's desire to control accounts, monetization, and online services. Players should celebrate the convenience while remaining aware that the underlying launcher dependency has not fully disappeared.
A New Template for Publishers—or a Temporary Correction?
Ubisoft is not the first major publisher to reverse course. EA returned to Steam in 2019 after years of pushing Origin, and Activision Blizzard brought Call of Duty back to Steam in 2022. Microsoft has released many first-party games on Steam alongside the Microsoft Store, and even Sony has started putting former PlayStation exclusives on PC through Steam. The pattern is clear: the PC market is too large and too Steam-centric for most publishers to ignore. A proprietary launcher can still serve as a login layer, a subscription hub, or a place for microtransactions, but it is increasingly unrealistic to use it as the only storefront. The old dream of replacing Steam has largely given way to a more pragmatic model: meet players where they already are, then try to convert them inside the game.
That does not mean every publisher will abandon exclusivity forever. Some may still accept timed exclusivity deals, and some may keep certain games or editions tied to their own services. Ubisoft itself may continue to prioritize Ubisoft+ and Ubisoft Connect for subscriptions and in-game purchases. But the broad strategic lesson is that exclusivity has a cost, and on PC that cost is often visibility. Steam's recommendation algorithms, user reviews, wishlists, and sales events can generate more revenue than a higher revenue share on a smaller store. For players, the return of major publishers to Steam means fewer launchers, stronger libraries, and better long-term access. For publishers, it means accepting that controlling distribution is less valuable than being discoverable. The launcher wars are not completely over, but the era in which a major publisher could simply ignore Steam appears to be ending.
