Ubisoft Is Testing a Launcher-Free Steam Experience Starting With Prince of Persia The Lost Crown

Ubisoft Connect Services Removes the Extra PC Launcher While Keeping Cross-Progression, Cross-Play and Rewards

Ubisoft is testing a new system called Ubisoft Connect Services that allows selected Steam games to keep Ubisoft's online features without requiring the separate Ubisoft Connect PC launcher to be installed or launched.

The first game being used for the test is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

The change was revealed through a Steam update and quickly attracted attention because Ubisoft's existing PC setup has traditionally required players to interact with another launcher even after purchasing a game through Steam.

Under the new system, Ubisoft says features such as cross-progression, cross-play, player safety, challenges and rewards can continue working through a dedicated Steam tool running in the background.

This is a meaningful change for PC players because the biggest benefit is not a new gameplay feature.

It is the removal of an extra layer between the player and the game.

Ubisoft says this is only the first version of the system and that it plans to improve the technology before progressively bringing Ubisoft Connect Services to more games on Steam.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Is the First Test

The first implementation is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

The game is being used as Ubisoft's testing ground for a new Steam-based approach to its online services.

Instead of opening the full Ubisoft Connect PC application, the new system uses a smaller Ubisoft Connect Services tool.

That tool is designed to provide the connected features Ubisoft still wants to maintain.

For players, the practical goal is straightforward:

Open the game from Steam and stay within the Steam experience.

The standalone Ubisoft Connect launcher does not need to be installed or manually launched under this test.

That could make starting the game faster and reduce the number of applications competing for attention on a player's desktop.

What Ubisoft Connect Services Actually Does

The new system is not removing Ubisoft's online infrastructure.

Instead, it is changing how players access it.

Ubisoft says Ubisoft Connect Services supports features including:

Cross-progression
Cross-play
Player safety systems
Challenges
Rewards
Other Ubisoft-connected functionality

The distinction is important.

Ubisoft still maintains the backend services needed for accounts, progression and online features.

The change is primarily on the PC client side.

Players no longer need the full Ubisoft Connect application simply to access those functions through Steam.

That makes the new system more of a launcher replacement strategy than a complete removal of Ubisoft's online ecosystem.

Why Steam Players Have Wanted This Change

For years, players purchasing Ubisoft games through Steam have had to deal with an additional launcher layer.

Steam handles the game library and storefront.

Ubisoft Connect handles Ubisoft-specific services.

That arrangement can work, but it also means players may have to deal with another login process, another application and another update cycle before getting into the game.

It can also create more troubleshooting points.

When something goes wrong, players may need to determine whether the problem comes from Steam, Ubisoft Connect, account authentication or the game itself.

A single Steam-focused launch process simplifies that chain.

Ubisoft's new approach appears specifically designed to reduce that friction.

This Is Not Just About Faster Launching

The biggest benefit may not actually be speed.

A simpler launcher structure can also reduce confusion around account services.

When a player opens a game from Steam, there is a clear expectation that Steam is the central interface.

Adding a second launcher can make the experience feel fragmented.

Ubisoft Connect Services attempts to preserve the company's important connected features while removing that visible separation.

For players, that means the experience can feel closer to a standard Steam game.

For Ubisoft, the company retains access to the account and service infrastructure it needs without requiring the full standalone client.

That makes the approach potentially valuable for both sides.

Cross-Progression Is Staying

One of the most important details is that cross-progression is not being removed.

Players can still benefit from Ubisoft's account-linked progression features through the new system.

This matters because removing the standalone launcher could otherwise create concerns about how account data and progression would be handled.

Ubisoft's announcement specifically says the Steam tool maintains cross-progression.

That means the new system is intended to simplify the front end without abandoning the connected services behind it.

Cross-Play Also Remains Supported

The same applies to cross-play.

Ubisoft says cross-play functionality remains part of the new setup.

That is important for Ubisoft titles that connect PC players with users on other platforms.

The company clearly does not want the launcher change to fragment its multiplayer ecosystem.

The objective is instead to hide some of the complexity from the player.

That could make future Steam releases easier to access without changing the underlying online architecture.

Challenges and Rewards Are Still Part of the System

Ubisoft Connect also provides challenges and rewards tied to supported games.

The new Steam service keeps those functions available.

This matters because Ubisoft's account ecosystem is more than a launcher.

The company has built additional layers around achievements, challenges, progression and promotional rewards.

Removing the standalone application would be less useful if those features disappeared with it.

By keeping them inside Ubisoft Connect Services, Ubisoft is effectively separating the services themselves from the old launcher interface.

That is the core idea behind the test.

Player Safety Features Are Also Retained

Ubisoft specifically lists player safety among the features supported by the new service.

That suggests the company is not treating Ubisoft Connect Services as a simple authentication utility.

The tool is intended to maintain the systems Ubisoft uses to manage connected player experiences.

This is particularly important for multiplayer games.

Account services, reporting systems and related safety functionality often operate behind the scenes.

A launcher can be removed without removing those underlying systems.

Ubisoft is attempting to make that transition invisible to players.

Ubisoft Plans to Expand the System

Perhaps the most important sentence in the announcement is the company's statement that Ubisoft Connect Services will progressively evolve and roll out to more Ubisoft games on Steam in the future.

That makes Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown a test rather than an isolated experiment.

If the new system works reliably, Ubisoft could eventually bring it to a much larger portion of its Steam catalog.

That would be a significant change for players who regularly buy Ubisoft games through Valve's storefront.

Instead of asking whether a game requires Ubisoft Connect, the expectation could eventually become that the Steam version handles Ubisoft's connected features directly.

What This Could Mean for Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft's biggest Steam franchises include Assassin's Creed, making it an obvious example of where this approach could eventually matter.

A successful rollout could potentially allow future Assassin's Creed titles on Steam to use Ubisoft services without requiring players to launch the traditional Ubisoft Connect application.

However, Ubisoft has not announced a complete game-by-game rollout schedule.

Players should therefore avoid assuming that every existing Ubisoft title will immediately switch to the new system.

The company has only confirmed that the service will progressively expand to more Steam games.

Older Games May Be More Complicated

The transition may also be more difficult for older Ubisoft titles.

Games built around existing Ubisoft Connect dependencies could require technical changes before they work with the new model.

That means future rollout could happen gradually.

Some games may be easy to migrate.

Others could need deeper updates.

Ubisoft's description of the system as an initial version suggests the company expects to continue refining the technology.

That makes this a longer-term platform transition rather than a one-day replacement of every Ubisoft PC client requirement.

SteamDB Already Shows the New Service

SteamDB's tracking data provides another indication that the change is real.

Its package information lists Ubisoft Connect Services as a separate Steam tool associated with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

The tool was updated alongside the game's Steam packages in September 2026.

That supports Ubisoft's claim that the new system is being integrated directly into the Steam ecosystem.

SteamDB is not Ubisoft's official announcement channel, so it should not replace Ubisoft's own statements.

But the package-level data is useful confirmation that the new backend tool exists on Steam.

The Change Could Help Steam Become More Attractive for Ubisoft Games

Ubisoft has increasingly returned more of its catalog to Steam after periods where many releases were pushed through its own PC storefront.

Reducing launcher friction could make Steam an even more attractive distribution platform.

Players generally prefer fewer accounts, fewer applications and fewer steps between purchasing a game and actually playing it.

Ubisoft's new system acknowledges that preference.

Instead of trying to force the entire Ubisoft experience around a separate launcher, the company appears to be experimenting with allowing Steam to become the main interface.

That could be especially valuable for future releases.

This Is a Different Approach From Other Publishers

Ubisoft is not the only publisher that has historically used a separate PC launcher.

EA and other major publishers have also built their own account ecosystems alongside Steam.

However, Ubisoft's new approach is interesting because it attempts to preserve publisher services while removing the visible launcher requirement.

That is a compromise.

Ubisoft keeps its account infrastructure.

Steam remains the primary storefront and game-launch environment.

Players get fewer interruptions.

Everyone retains something important from the previous system.

Why Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Makes Sense as the Test

Choosing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown as the first game is also notable.

The title has already received substantial post-launch support and exists as an established Steam release rather than a brand-new game.

That makes it a useful environment for testing the new system.

Ubisoft can evaluate how the service works with an existing game that already contains account-linked features.

It also means the company can observe real-world player behavior without tying the test exclusively to an unreleased title.

What Players Should Expect During the Test

Players should not assume that the first version will be perfect.

Ubisoft itself describes the current implementation as an initial step.

That suggests further changes are expected.

The company says it will continue iterating on Ubisoft Connect Services as it expands.

There could therefore be additional adjustments to how players sign in, access rewards, manage cross-progression or interact with Ubisoft account features.

The important point is that the company is testing the underlying model.

Does This Mean Ubisoft Connect Is Dead?

Not yet.

That would be an overstatement.

The existing Ubisoft Connect ecosystem is still relevant.

Ubisoft is not abandoning its account services.

Instead, it is experimenting with a way to make those services available on Steam without the full PC launcher.

The future could therefore involve two different experiences.

Ubisoft's own PC storefront may continue using the full ecosystem, while Steam versions rely more heavily on the lighter Ubisoft Connect Services system.

The company has not announced that Ubisoft Connect itself will be completely discontinued.

The Bigger Change Is About Convenience

The real story is not that Ubisoft has suddenly abandoned its PC infrastructure.

The bigger story is that Ubisoft appears to be accepting that players want a simpler PC experience.

A Steam customer generally wants to click Play and start the game.

If Ubisoft can maintain cross-progression, cross-play, challenges and rewards without forcing the player through another application, there is little reason for the player to care which technical system is running in the background.

That is exactly what Ubisoft Connect Services appears designed to achieve.

What This Could Mean for Future Ubisoft Games

If the experiment succeeds, future Ubisoft releases on Steam could become noticeably cleaner.

A player could purchase the game through Steam, launch it through Steam and still receive Ubisoft's account-based benefits without opening a separate Ubisoft client.

That could make Ubisoft's games more competitive on Steam.

It could also remove one of the most common complaints surrounding publisher-specific PC launchers.

The company has not promised that every future Ubisoft game will use the new system.

But its stated plan to progressively expand the service makes that a realistic direction.

What Players Should Watch Next

The most important thing to watch is which Ubisoft games receive Ubisoft Connect Services next.

If the system quickly expands beyond Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, it would signal that the test is progressing successfully.

If Ubisoft starts applying it to major franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry or other established Steam releases, the change would become much more significant.

For now, Prince of Persia is the starting point.

The next phase will reveal whether Ubisoft can make its simplified Steam experience work at scale.

Ubisoft Connect Services could quietly become one of the most player-friendly changes Ubisoft has made to its PC strategy in years.

Starting with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft is testing a Steam tool that keeps essential Ubisoft features without requiring the separate Ubisoft Connect PC launcher.

Cross-progression remains.

Cross-play remains.

Challenges and rewards remain.

Player safety systems remain.

The main thing disappearing is the extra launcher layer.

That sounds like a small technical change, but it directly addresses one of the biggest friction points in modern PC gaming.

For Steam players, the ideal outcome is simple: press Play, stay in Steam and get into the game without another application appearing first.

For Ubisoft, the challenge will be making sure the new system remains reliable as it expands.

The company has already said that Ubisoft Connect Services will evolve and roll out to more Steam games.

If the experiment succeeds, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown could end up being remembered not just as the first game to use the system, but as the beginning of a much simpler way to play Ubisoft games on PC.