Ubisoft apologizes after in-game ad for AC: Mirage caused uproar

Summary:

• Ubisoft apologizes for the in-game advertisement many fans spotted in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
• The advertisement was for a 20% discount for the Black Friday sale on Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
• The fans did not take the advertisement too kindly, and Ubisoft called it a “technical error” that was fixed soon.

Game marketing is always a gamble that big developers like Ubisoft must make. For the most part, Ubisoft has been on point with it. However, the recent intrusive in-game advertisements have taken the general audience against them.

After the recent bout of in-game advertisements for a discount on Assassin’s Creed Mirage in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft clarified via IGN that the advertisements resulted from a “technical error.” They removed it as soon as it was brought to their attention.

We have been made aware that some players encountered a pop-up message in-game while playing certain Assassin’s Creed titles yesterday. This was the result of a technical error that has now been fixed.

Our intention was to display a promotion for Assassin's Creed Mirage as part…

— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) November 24, 2023

The advertisement was spotted first on the Xbox Series X by u/triddell24 while playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. They mentioned that the ad popped up when they tried to open the map in-game.

This was not a one-time instance either, as the same incident was corroborated by another user, u/CrostaticLT, on the PlayStation 5 running Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

The ad could be bypassed by running AC: Odyssey in offline mode. However, this obstruction of play with advertisements to show a 20% discount on AC: Mirage as a part of Black Friday did not sit well with the fans.

I was tempted to give AC Mirage a try but wtf is this @Ubisoft ? Now we have ads inside your videogames? Nah, not spending any money on you. https://t.co/VVMkOEpif0

— Tzao (@Tzao96) November 24, 2023

Many said that they would be uninstalling the game just because of this. Indeed, a giant corporation like Ubisoft does not have to pull off cheap marketing stunts like this at the expense of user and gameplay experience.

Ubisoft thereby denied allegations that this was an intentional ploy to sell copies of AC: Mirage. The spokesperson for Ubisoft said that the advertisement had been promptly removed but did not provide insight into what might have caused the mishap.

Regardless of this incident, Assassin’s Creed Mirage was a great success as it brought the Assassin’s Creed franchise back to its true roots of stealth and parkour. Players can wander and explore the streets of 9^th-century Baghdad in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which is out now.

About Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an upcoming game in development from Ubisoft. It is reported to feature Basim, previously seen in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and the gameplay will focus more on stealth than open-world RPG elements. The game was released on October 5th, 2023.

About Ubisoft Entertainment SA

Ubisoft Entertainment SA is a French video game company founded in 1986. They are headquartered in Montreuil, and have development studios across the world. They are famous for game franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Prince of Persion, Rayman, Tom Clancy’s, Just Dance, Rabbids, and Watch Dogs.