Fans upset at Ubisoft after in-game ads pop up in Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Publisher Ubisoft may have found themselves in yet another controversy. Fans have reported encountering in-game ads in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. X (formerly Twitter) user @Fab_XS_ took to the social media site to showcase a clip of the open-world game where they get a sale ad for the latest Assassin's Creed Mirage. Their post says:

"It appears that Ubisoft is experimenting with in-game advertising for some users (Xbox and PS). You are in the middle of your game, go to pause or Map and you have 3sec. an ad for another game appears. Enough to uninstall?"

This has upset more than a few fans, with many expressing displeasure at how this move from the publisher is impeding gameplay-immersive experiences.

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Is this a sign that Ubisoft will make in-game ads more common in their games?

In the footage, the player can be seen traversing the open world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. However, while opening the map screen to check their location., the player is greeted by an in-game banner advertising a 20% discount for Assassin's Creed Mirage instead of the map. The two options beneath the banner allow visiting the store to check the deal or close the ad.

Only after this could the player access the map to progress further. While the social media post has gained much traction since being posted, it was first encountered on the Xbox One subreddit on Reddit. Understandably, many gamers are deeming this move as unacceptable and something that needs to be nipped in the bud immediately.

Just got an in-game advertisement when I tried to go to the map byu/triddell24 inxboxone

With that said, this seems to be an experimental move, as not everyone seems to be experiencing it. This suggests the publisher is toying with the idea of making it more widespread. But the fact that players are seeing any form of advertisement at all in a paid game is nothing short of outrageous. This has left a bad taste in players' mouths, with many swearing to boycott Ubisoft games.

Since the Steam Autumn Sale 2023 is live now with many major games on discount, this is bound to affect sales for the occasion. Interestingly, Ubisoft reached out to The Verge's query about the same; they claim this is a technical error and has been addressed right away. Since the banner had working button prompts, it is hard to believe it was not supposed to appear at all.

Perhaps for specific occasions? Or maybe at the main menu or on the target platform's stores? Hard to say, but that's all we have to go off of for now. We will have to wait and see how this situation unfolds in the future, if at all.