In November 2022, Ubisoft announced that some of its titles are returning to the Steam storefront. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was the first major title added to the platform with Roller Champions and Anno 1800 being added sometime after. Now, gamers on Steam are finally getting one of Ubisoft’s most popular titles with The Division 2. The game was released on PC via Uplay in 2019 and later on the Epic Games Store. The Division 2 went on to sell over 10 million copies on all platforms since its release. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot previously said that the absence of The Division 2 on Steam was “a long-term positive.” Guillemot argued that pre-orders for the first Division game was six times higher on the Ubisoft storefront than any other platform. “With this deal, we saw an opportunity to increase player exposure to our own store while at the same time supporting a partner that greatly values our games and provides better terms,” Guillemot said of The Division 2 not releasing on Steam in 2019. “Early indications are supportive, as PC pre-orders are higher than for the first Division, and pre-orders on the Ubisoft store are six times higher. We believe this deal is a long-term positive for Ubisoft.”
Ubisoft may have also been considering that Steam takes a 30% cut of the revenue as compared to 12% on the Epic Games Store. Releasing a highly anticipated title on its own storefront as well as one that takes a smaller share makes financial sense. Now that launch has long passed, Ubisoft may simply be looking to add additional players to the title and make a little more profit. Ubisoft hasn’t had a very good year in 2022 and there are rumors that the French game developer is looking for potential buyers or mergers. The Division 2 is currently on sale on Steam, with up to a 70% discount on the AAA shooter. However, the game’s release has not been well received by players on the platform. Gamers are reporting technical issues with the Steam version of The Division 2. There are reports that the game crashes within the first 10 minutes. Others are reporting that they cannot finish even the first level of the game due to bugs. Some users are starting to request refunds due to technical issues with the Steam version. Players are also complaining that The Division 2 does not support achievements on Steam, in contrast to The Epic Games Store and console versions of the game which all support achievements. Hopefully, Ubisoft sorts out all the issues with the game with upcoming patches. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
