Ubisoft is testing a new way for its games to launch through Steam without requiring the Ubisoft Connect PC desktop client to be installed or opened alongside the game.

The test begins with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. According to a Steam announcement reported by Insider Gaming, a new tool called Ubisoft Connect Services is designed to preserve features such as cross-progression, cross-play, player safety systems, challenges and rewards while removing the separate Ubisoft Connect PC launcher from the launch process.

That distinction matters. Ubisoft is not shutting down Ubisoft Connect, and it has not announced that every Ubisoft game on Steam will immediately stop using the desktop launcher. The company described this as a first version that will be refined over time and progressively expanded to more Ubisoft games on Steam.

Ubisoft Connect itself remains an active ecosystem. Ubisoft continues to describe it as a cross-platform service for games, friends, rewards and progression, accessible through the desktop application as well as directly inside supported games. The new Steam integration is therefore better understood as an attempt to separate those services from the requirement to open a second PC launcher.

There is another limitation players should keep in mind: removing the Ubisoft Connect PC launcher does not necessarily remove the Ubisoft account requirement. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s Steam page still states that a Ubisoft account is required and can be linked to a Steam account. The game also continues to list Denuvo Anti-Tamper as third-party DRM.

The change nevertheless addresses a long-running source of friction for PC players. Buying a game on Steam only to have a second launcher open in the background adds another login, another update path and another possible point of failure before the game starts. If Ubisoft Connect Services works as intended, Steam users could retain the online and progression features tied to Ubisoft’s ecosystem while launching supported games more directly.

The scope is still limited. Ubisoft has not published a full compatibility list or a timetable for moving its catalog to the new system, and the original announcement referenced by Insider Gaming was no longer broadly visible afterward. For that reason, the safest reading is that Ubisoft has started a staged test rather than completed a platform-wide launcher removal.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a logical first candidate because it has been available on Steam since August 2024 and already supports Ubisoft account linking. If the test expands successfully, it could signal a broader change in how Ubisoft distributes and supports its PC games on Valve’s storefront.

ARTICLE CREDIT:

News story written by Mike Lima.

Source/Further reading:

Primary source/reference link: https://insider-gaming.com/ubisoft-connect-steam/