I bought both Ubisoft's big games this holiday season (Unity, Far Cry 4), and they both have things locked behind Uplay. You can't get some chests in Unity because it's all based on your level on Uplay. You have to be at a high enough level to open it. If you want to level up, play the AC games from 2 and up.

In FC4, there's weapons locked in both single and multiplayer. I had to get 30 Uplay points, go to the website, and then unlock the weapon from there. I mean, why does this even exists?

I don't have all the knowledge on these type of things, but someone tell me how this benefits Ubisoft?

Uplay is the cancer that explains why I haven't bought a game from Ubisoft in years. I've really wanted though, they've released some great games (Far Cry, Anno) and some not-so-great but decent games (Assassin's Creed perhaps) I would've played without Uplay.

I have relatively little understanding of the benefits of Uplay for Ubisoft. I guess they get more exposure that way, but that's about it. I've never heard anyone say anything good about Uplay, and while such things probably exist, I have yet to hear anyone claim their Uplay experience is positive as a whole. Basically it's just a redundant system whose main purpose is probably to serve as DRM (or Ubi's own store, I guess).

Maybe in optimal cases it doesn't get in the way, but that's about all you can say in its defence.

Studies show that game enjoyment increases dramatically when ham-fisted DRM is integrated into the experience.

UPlay exists for a while, i remember it from earlier. It would usually give you some points for some cosmetic things in the game, but I found it very cumbersome to use, and pretty much pointless.

And if it requires me to go to the website, screw them, i'm not doing that. I can live without a gun or a helmet or whatever.

Similar, but not the same, as those Infamous Paper Trail missions... do a mission, go to website, click around for a while, then go back to the console, then back to the website, then...screw it...i don't need those paper trail missions...

Their benefit is, I guess, the bragging rights to xy million registered users, which helps them make more money from advertising or whatever... And of course as a bait to those 1-2% of weak-willed lazy users who will rather pay money than unlock those items by playing.

I didn't have a problem with Uplay at all with Far Cry 3, though I haven't used it since. Seemed pretty lightweight to me and a heck of a lot less annoying than the Steam client, though I kill both when I'm not directly playing a game. FC3 had a few bonus guns, too, though they were completely superfluous. I unlocked a couple but by that time I had better weapons in the main game and never used the bonus guns. I don't see much of a problem with unlockables in games.

im sure its just for statistic collecting and analysis, which will in turn help them make decisions.

It's just another one of their horrible ways to thwart piracy. By locking content on a online service, pirates can't play the whole game.

Problem is, gamers who actually buy the game suffer as a result. For me, AC Unity is almost unplayable due to the insane amount of content locked in three different services (Uplay, companion app, and the website game). It's infuriating and stupid as hell.

I hate Uplay. I have to sign in to PSN then I also have to sign in to Uplay.

Yea Uplay is the worst drm I have ever experienced in pc and it made me boycott ubisoft forever