A few weeks ago we got some solid indications that international mega-publisher Ubisoft would be slinking back to Steam, the de facto default for PC game stores. Lo and behold, le fils prodigue revient: as of yesterday, Ubisoft has posted Assassin's Creed Valhalla to Valve's ubiquitous storefront with a December 6th release date. It will follow with Anno 1800 and Roller Champions at some point. Ubisoft is the latest huge publisher to venture out on its own with its a PC-based game launcher, then return to Steam's profitable fold. Ubisoft's brand of bloatware was called Uplay, which became the exclusive home of the publisher's major franchises in 2019, and was rechristened Ubisoft Connect in 2020.

Ubisoft will start bringing its games to Steam again, nearly four years after it turned its attention to the Epic Games Store and its own Connect launcher. First up is one of the publisher's biggest games of the last few years, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which will be available on Steam on December 6th. City builder Anno 1800 and the free-to-play Roller Champions will hit Steam at a later date. "We're constantly evaluating how to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are, while providing a consistent player ecosystem through Ubisoft Connect," a Ubisoft spokesperson told Eurogamer. "Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Anno 1800 and Roller Champions are among the Ubisoft titles that will be releasing on Steam." Assassin's Creed Valhalla will land on Steam just as Ubisoft releases the game's last content update.

One of the best qualities of the Assassin's Creed series is its commitment to accuracy, especially when it comes to different cultures, historical settings and mythology. "Valhalla," for what it's worth, nails Nordic mythology, from major story beats to tiny references like Ratatosk the Squirrel. Another great quality is the series' deeply complex lore. Admittedly, the present-day storylines can feel a tad convoluted, and are hit-or-miss from game to game. But "Valhalla's" lands on the "hit" side, finally answering series-long questions about things like the ancient group known as the Isu.

If you're looking for a massive open-world game to play this weekend that isn't Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, Dying Light 2 or Cyberpunk 2077, it might be worth checking out Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The latest entry in Ubisoft's long-running series is free to play right now on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Stadia Pro and Amazon Luna. You'll get access to the full game until February 28th. Players can take on the guise of a Viking raider named Eivor as they explore ninth-century versions of Norway and England. You can lead raids against fortresses and enemy territories, grow your own settlement and build out a version of Eivor that suits your preferred playstyle.

Ubisoft reportedly plans to repurpose an Assassin's Creed Valhalla expansion into a standalone release. According to Bloomberg, the company is working on a game codenamed "Rift." What started life as DLC for the latest entry in the company's long-running historical franchise apparently morphed into a full game sometime late last year. Per Bloomberg, the game will star Basim Ibn Ishaq (pictured above), a character that appears in Valhalla. What's more, it won't be a massive open-world game and will instead focus more on stealth gameplay.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's first major expansion, Wrath of the Druids, will come out a couple of weeks later than expected. It was supposed to be available on April 29th, but now Ubisoft has announced on Twitter that it will be released on May 13th instead. The video game developer said it pushed back the release date "to deliver a more refined experience" and promised to publish an article that provides transparency and insights into its dev process. To deliver a more refined experience, we're sharing that: Wrath of the Druids will now release on May 13 We're working on an article to provide transparency and share insights on our dev process Thanks for your patience. Keep an eye on our social channels for future news!

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One of the suits of armor available in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla -- if you're willing to pay realn money. One of the suits of armor available in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla -- if you're willing to pay realn money. Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the latest installment in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise, came out in November 2020. Like most AC games, it was highly anticipated; it sold more copies in its opening week than any other game in the series. Needless to say, fans were excited.

Over the years, as video games--especially massive AAA titles--have evolved into spectacular, open-world spectacles, they've also increased in duration. What used to take 20 or 30 hours to complete now takes five times that. The question is no longer "Do I want to play this game?" but rather "Do I want to sink 100 hours of my life into it?" Because once you start, it can be very, very difficult to stop, even when you want to. Sure, in some ways longer games are good.

In the early 2000s, my family and I were living in Iceland for a span of three years. Before landing in a place where we would be living for well over a decade once we moved back to the US, the land of fire and ice was where I called home. Iceland was a fascinating place to live, from the physical landscape to the history and culture of the country. I have vivid memories of hiking up the sides of an inactive volcano and seeing massive geysers for the first time. Once we moved back to the States, I knew I wanted to go back one day.