Ubisoft is debuting a new cross-platform rewards program called Ubisoft Club, which will let gamers earn badges, Ubisoft XP, and Ubisoft Units.
While you can earn these things by playing Ubisoft games, the digital currency isn’t used in the game itself. Instead, you can buy extras in Ubisoft Club, which may or may not affect your gameplay.
The service will launch on an as-of-yet unspecified date in 2015. Ubisoft Club membership can earn players extra in-game content and a place in beta tests for upcoming Ubisoft games, as well as limited-edition items or Ubisoft shop discounts.
Ubisoft currently has a game distribution service and rewards program called UPlay, which will likely either be replaced by Ubisoft Club, or exist alongside it. UPlay has been available for awhile, but caused a stir with the launch of Assassin’s Creed Unity last year, as it was clumsily accessible via a browser pop-up that let players buy in-game boosts with Units.
UPlay’s server instability has consistently caused problems for gamers.
Other publishers often have their own rewards programs, like EA’s EA Access and Nintendo’s Club Nintendo, which was discontinued earlier this year.
Neither Club Nintendo nor UPlay cost anything to join. However, EA Access costs $4.99 a month for early access to EA games, plus a collection of full games that you can play without purchasing anything more than your EA Access membership.
It’s unclear at the moment whether Ubisoft Club will fall more in line with the Club Nintendo model, which let you earn points by buying Nintendo games and purchase rewards with those points, or with the EA Access model that charges for premium game content.
