Ubisoft Plans To Bring Games To Steam Deck

As Valve looks to the future of gaming with the Steam Deck, it sounds like one of the biggest publishers around could want a slice of the handheld gaming pie, and bring its own AAA titles to the console. When it comes to super-massive gaming publishers, they don't come much bigger than Ubisoft. 

Having the keys to the kingdom of everything from Watch Dogs to Rainbow Six, Far Cry to Assassin's Creed, you'd struggle to find a time an Ubisoft title isn't trending in the gaming charts.

While Valve tires to work out the logistics of the Steam Deck, Ubisoft is one of the first to throw its weight behind the idea. 

Could Ubisoft games come to the Steam Deck?

First reported by IGN, a July 20 investors call between Ubisoft bosses led to CEO Yves Guillemot saying he'd consider adding his games to the Steam Deck...if it's big enough. Discussing the portable PC solution, Guillemot told investors, "We're happy to see Steam Deck coming to the industry, it shows that it continues a flow of very innovative new hardware coming to the market".

Mulling over the conditions on whether we'll see future Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games on the Steam Deck, Guillemot concluded, "So we will look and see how big it becomes, but if it's big we will be able to put our games on it". With Far Cry 6 due out in October and the Steam Deck planned for a Christmas release, there could be a lucrative partnership to be had.

The main takeaway from all of the above would suggest a massive break from the norm - especially as Epic Games and Valve duke it out to see which becomes the ultimate PC storefront.

Why would it be a big deal if Ubisoft games come to Steam Deck?

Previously, Ubisoft has tended to prefer the Epic Games store, meaning major titles like Assassin's Creed Valhalla are nowhere to be found on Steam. In fact, the last Ubisoft game to be released on Steam was arcade shooter Space Junkies in 2019.

When The Division 2 released in early 2019, Guillemot told investors (via gamesindustry.biz) the decision not to release on Steam was to push players to Ubisoft's own UPlay store. At the time, the Ubisoft CEO explained, "There are a growing number of distribution platforms fighting for great content. 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". 

It could be a case of Ubisoft coming back to Steam with its tail between its legs, but for now, Guillemot is airing on the side of caution. Remembering the disasters of the Nokia N-Gage, the PlayStation Vita, and even the Wii U? Systems with handheld capabilities don't always have the best track record.

Then again, the unparalleled success of the Nintendo Switch becoming the best-selling system of 2020 has undoubtedly spurred Valve forward. We need to remember that the Steam Deck's ability to run the Epic Games Store and other digital storefronts mean there might not be a need to change, but at least we know Valve has caught Guillemot's attention.