Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD ‘Decomissioned’ From Steam But Will Remain Playable To Owners, According To Ubisoft

Ubisoft has removed Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD from Steam as part of a larger online “decommissioning” of several of its titles, most notably on PC. Ubisoft posted a notice informing owners that they would continue to lose access until September. Ubisoft clarified this will not happen.

For context, Ubisoft recently announced it will cease online services for several of its titles on September 1, of which Liberation HD is among them. These titles’ PC counterparts will lose all online functionality and their DLC, regardless of whether you have purchased them. 

Yesterday Twitter user Nors3 shared a screen capture of Liberation HD’s now-defunct Steam page, displaying a notice that states, “At the request of the publisher, Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD is no longer available for sale on Steam.” Another, and more worrying notice states that the title will no longer be accessible after September 1, 2022.

The message caused a commotion. One, because Ubisoft’s decommissioning post gave no indication that owners would lose access to Liberation HD entirely. Two, the game was heavily discounted during last week’s Steam Summer Sale, causing new owners to post angry reviews on Assassin’s Creed III Remastered’s store page – which includes Liberation HD and is now the only way to play it on Steam – believing they’d been duped into purchasing a soon-to-be-useless game. And three, since Ubisoft wasn’t offering refunds, many viewed the move as deceptive and a major breach of consumer trust. 

Ubisoft has finally addressed the matter in a statement to IGN. Ubisoft clarifies the situation by explaining that owners of Liberation HD and the other titles being decommissioned can still “access, play or redownload” the games once its online services and DLC functionality ceases in September. The publisher states it’s currently working on updating the storefront information for the affected titles and says “it has always been our intention to do everything in our power to allow those legacy titles to remain available in the best possible conditions for players, and this is what we are working towards.”

So, it seems Steam users who own Liberation HD can breathe a little bit easier, even if September’s broader decommissioning is still a disappointing and upsetting decision in its own right. Aveline’s Adventure will not be removed from Steam’s hands.