Ubisoft exec tells gamers to 'get comfortable' with not owning your games

Big video game company executives keep winning the hearts of gamers worldwide with comments such as ‘get comfortable’ with not owning your games.

Over the last several years, digital video game purchases have been on the rise with physical media slowly being pushed into the background. Owning digital video games has its benefits, but it’s possible that a publisher could erase digital games from all existence with a push of a button, unlike physical media you own.

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As a disabled man, I adore the ease of owning digital video games and being able to swap games on the fly without getting up to change the disc. Purchasing digital games is also super easy as it’s just a case of downloading the content to your PC or console. Likewise, accessing movie and TV content on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video has never been easier. However, there’s nothing quite like owning physical content that publishers can never take away from you.

Yes, swapping discs is a little less convenient and you may have to travel to buy that video game or wait for it to be delivered, but no matter what a publisher says, you own that game and it can never be taken away from you. What’s more, being a subscriber to Disney Plus, as a collector, I still buy Marvel and Star Wars steelbooks as now, I do not need to open them and they remain freshly sealed. This is why the comments on today’s story will undoubtedly ruffle a few feathers.

As reported by The Gamer, Ubisoft’s director of subscriptions, Phillipe Tremblay told Gamesindustry.biz that consumers eventually “got comfortable” with not owning CD or DVD collections and this shift in mindset “needs to happen” with gamers.

“One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That's the consumer shift that needs to happen,” said Tremblay. He went on to explain that while he understands gamers (apparently), services such as Ubisoft Plus are the future and gamers can still access content whenever they like. That is unless a publisher decides to pull certain digital content, of course.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of what Phillipe Tremblay has said regarding physical and digital media. Yes, I know that digital content is on an upward trajectory and as a consumer, I value its convenience. That being said, I have not gotten comfortable with not owning physical content and I don't plan to either, and I know that I’m not alone in that sentiment. So if you’re also against the words of big video game executives who think they know what’s best for us, buy your physical games and movies to own and get building that wonderful collection.