Ubisoft Attributes Assassin’s Creed Mirage Pop-Up Ad in Other Games to a ‘Technical Error’

Several Assassin’s Creed Odyssey players encountered an unexpected in-game Black Friday Sale ad while attempting to access the world map.

Some Assassin’s Creed Odyssey console players encountered in-game pop-up ads for Ubisoft’s Black Friday Sale while playing the game. As per a Reddit video posted by u/triddell24, they stumbled upon an advertisement when toggling open the world map, filling the screen with a dismissible banner for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, currently available at a 20 percent discount. Clicking the ‘Buy Now’ button would presumably redirect to the store page for Mirage. Players online have understandable expressed their disappointment over the in-game advertisement that interferes with gameplay. Publisher Ubisoft has since apologised for the pop-up, in addition to stating it was a ‘technical error.’

“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,” Ubisoft addressed in a tweet. The company has denied claims that it was an intentional means to sell more Assassin’s Creed copies, adding that it was supposed to be displayed on in-game menus across the franchise. However, the error caused the promotion to show up in-game and disrupt the flow, causing many to compare it to mobile game ads that constantly urge players to engage with microtransactions. That said, a Community Note attached at the bottom of the tweet shows a similar instance from four years ago where an Assassin’s Creed Odyssey player was hit with a pop-in ad when trying to open the map. In-game advertisements are met with the same, if not worse, outrage as microtransactions, which solely exist as a way to extract more money from customers.

Video game publishers and movie production companies have explored various methods to introduce pop-up ads, despite the prevalence of ad-free content consumption. Netflix, for instance, has been testing more affordable ad-supported options in the US. This trend could potentially extend to live service games, especially considering the frequent prompts for in-game purchases and interactions with battle passes in titles like Overwatch 2. Even Microsoft has incorporated fullscreen pop-up ads for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 upon booting up the Xbox console, irrespective of whether the game is already owned. Developers can creatively promote their own games, as demonstrated by Remedy Entertainment, which integrates posters and screenshots of its other titles within the in-game environment.

Earlier this month, Ubisoft confirmed the development of two new modes for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, set to be available as a free update in December. While not explicitly detailed, the New Game+ mode is expected to enable players to revisit ninth-century Baghdad with enhanced abilities, carrying over skill upgrades and weapon unlocks. To add a challenge, Ubisoft is introducing a permadeath mode applicable across all difficulty levels. Assassin’s Creed Mirage harks back to the classic Assassin’s Creed formula, focusing on a contained story and stealthy assassinations, diverging from the open-world RPG format introduced in AC Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla.

Both Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Odyssey are accessible on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.