Ubisoft Trials Feature to Streamline Steam Games by Bypassing Connect Launcher

Ubisoft is testing a new solution aimed at improving the user experience for its PC catalog on Steam. The publisher is trialling "Ubisoft Connect Services," a system designed to maintain Ubisoft-specific features like achievements and cross-progression without requiring the full Ubisoft Connect launcher to be installed or actively run in the background when playing its games.

The trial is starting with a single game: the 2024 Metroidvania title Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. A statement from Ubisoft describes this initial release as "an initial step toward a smoother and more streamlined launch experience on Steam." The company plans to "progressively evolve and roll out" the new service to more Ubisoft games on Steam in the future.

Historically, Ubisoft titles purchased on Valve's platform have required a secondary launcher to start, which has often been a point of frustration for players. By shifting to "Ubisoft Connect Services," players will be able to bypass the secondary launcher entirely while keeping essential backend features. This change aligns with other recent user experience improvements from the publisher, such as adding its games to the Xbox Disc-to-Digital beta and partnering with Microsoft to unlock PC versions of purchased Xbox titles.