Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Unplayable Even in Offline Mode
▼ Summary
– A Ubisoft Connect server outage over the weekend took the game offline on PC, preventing offline play.
– Ubisoft Connect acts as a DRM layer on PC, requiring a one-time internet connection to authenticate a game copy.
– The outage lasted about an hour but disabled the game’s offline mode, which is known to be unreliable.
– Players reported the issue on Steam Forums and Reddit, with many recalling similar problems with other Ubisoft Connect games.
– The game previously faced controversy for launching with expensive cosmetic microtransactions, which hurt its Steam reviews.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced may have sailed in with one of the franchise’s largest launches, but it has not resolved a long-standing frustration for PC players. Over the weekend, an outage of Ubisoft Connect,the publisher’s DRM and social layer,rendered the game unplayable on PC, even for those attempting to use offline mode.
Like every modern Ubisoft title, Resynced depends on Ubisoft Connect to function. While this dependency exists across all platforms, on PC the software carries extra weight by acting as a DRM layer in addition to its social features. After purchasing a Ubisoft game, a one-time internet connection is required through Connect to authenticate the copy. In theory, this should allow players to play offline until a reinstall is needed.
But theory and reality often diverge. The Ubisoft Connect offline mode is notoriously unreliable, and that flaw was on full display during the weekend server outage. Though the downtime lasted roughly an hour, the real problem was that players lost all offline access as well. That, of course, defeats the entire purpose of an offline mode.
Frustrated players quickly turned to Steam Forums and Reddit, where a thread on the issue has amassed over 15,000 upvotes. Many commenters noted similar experiences with other Ubisoft Connect titles. So far, Ubisoft has not addressed the outage on its social channels or responded to the forums.
This isn’t the first controversy for Resynced. The game launched with a bundle of cosmetic microtransactions that, when added together, cost more than the full game itself. While such monetization is a Ubisoft staple, players were vocal in their disapproval. The game’s Steam reviews initially tanked as a result, though they have since recovered.
Aside from lingering bugs and technical hiccups,which the developer acknowledges,Black Flag Resynced is otherwise a stable release across platforms. In Eurogamer’s review, Dom Peppiatt noted how much the remake improves on the original, even as it unnecessarily creates its own headaches.
(Source: Eurogamer.net)
