Digital media has seen massive growth over the last decade or so, and that’s something we’ve seen in the games industry as well. But even as digital purchases, subscription services, and streaming become increasingly popular, many have wondered what repercussions that’s going to have on game preservation- and the fact that we see all too many examples of games being delisted and made completely unavailable for sale (and at times, even for playing for those who’ve bought them) has only made those questions more pertinent.
One company that seems to be going all-in on the concept of not owning the games you’re playing is Ubisoft, which recently announced a revamped version of its Ubisoft+ subscription service. Speaking in a recent interview with GamesIndustry about the company’s plans for expanding its subscription service, director of subscriptions Philippe Tremblay said that rather than sticking to the traditional model of physcally purchasing and permanently owning their games, gaming audiences need to start “feeling comfortable with not owning your game.”
“One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games,” Tremblay said. “That’s the consumer shift that needs to happen. They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That’s a transformation that’s been a bit slower to happen [in games]. As gamers grow comfortable in that aspect… you don’t lose your progress. If you resume your game at another time, your progress file is still there. That’s not been deleted. You don’t lose what you’ve built in the game or your engagement with the game. So it’s about feeling comfortable with not owning your game.
“I still have two boxes of DVDs. I definitely understand the gamers perspective with that. But as people embrace that model, they will see that these games will exist, the service will continue, and you’ll be able to access them when you feel like. That’s reassuring.”
While what Tremblay is saying would certainly hold water in an ideal scenario, the reality is that preservation of legacy media (and often media that isn’t even that old) is in far worse shape in the games industry than it is in, say, TV or film. If the industry’s biggest supporters of streaming and subscription services can find a way to prioritize game preservation as a rule rather than when it’s convenient, audiences will likely be much more supportive of the prospect of not owning the games they play. Sadly, thus far, that’s something we’ve seen very little of.
