Ubisoft mandates Russian language for Ukrainian gamers.
Ubisoft mandates Russian language for Ukrainian gamers.
I acknowledge that many Ukrainians speak Russian, and I value that connection. However, personally I find it unappealing when it comes to using it, especially when it feels forced or intrusive. Particularly during times when my city faces missile threats from Russia, such restrictions seem unusual. When Ubisoft offers multiple languages like English in their games but limits them in Ukraine, it appears somewhat puzzling. This policy is evident in titles such as FarCry, Watch_Dogs, For Honor, and Riders Republic. I’ve reached out to their support several times, but they haven’t offered a clear resolution. What could be the motivation behind this? Is there a business reason behind it that I’m not aware of?
Usual Ubisoft nonsense. What silly rule says Ukraine can’t get English? That’s ridiculous. Things like this really make me skip buying, playing, or even downloading their games. I’m making every chance to criticize them. From what I see, they’re still acting like jerks. It’s strange since all their games are available in English. There’s no valid reason they can’t offer Ukrainian players English versions. Ubisoft markets games globally in English, yet they made an arbitrary choice forcing Ukraine to read Russian. If I were Ukrainian, I’d be furious and hope the whole world shuts down on them—because that’s exactly what they deserve. Assholes.
You want to discourage others from buying your games by calling the company a bad actor. It’s better if everyone pirates them in English without any hidden issues. I also think people should support my boycott and express strong dislike for Ubisoft at every chance, especially since their products are from Moscow.
Confirm the cost variation. A brief adjustment shows your Watch_Dogs2 version is about 30€. Personally, mine is 60€ (checked on my profile). If they translate English into your game versions, everyone would rush to get discounted access. This was a typical approach back then, which explains why companies adopted similar strategies. Still, it feels tone-deaf not to provide a temporary fix or workaround.
Because they are unmotivated. Including Ukraine in the Russian-speaking area creates challenges for publishers when offering English as an option. This region offers some of the most affordable prices globally, so they eliminate English to stop customers from other areas from purchasing a Russian version at a lower cost instead of paying full price.