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Ubisoft Connect Steam Launcher Requirement Is Starting to Disappear
Buying a game through Steam only to watch another launcher appear before reaching the title screen has long been one of PC gaming’s less welcome rituals. Ubisoft is finally beginning to change that.
Starting with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, the publisher is testing a new tool called Ubisoft Connect Services, which retains Ubisoft’s account-linked features without requiring the full Ubisoft Connect PC application to be installed or launched.
That means Steam players can still access features including cross-progression, cross-play, player safety systems, challenges and rewards while removing the additional launcher step. A Ubisoft account is still required for The Lost Crown, so the change doesn’t remove Ubisoft’s ecosystem from the equation. The difference is that players should no longer need a second storefront application running alongside Steam.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Is Ubisoft’s First Test
Ubisoft quietly announced the change through a Steam update for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, describing the implementation as the first step towards a smoother launch experience.
The new Services tool has already appeared as a separate Steam application connected to The Lost Crown’s packages, replacing the need to launch the full desktop client while retaining its backend functionality. It is a particularly welcome improvement for a game we previously covered during Ubisoft Forward, especially for anyone who picked up the Metroidvania through Valve’s storefront after its original Ubisoft Connect release.
More Ubisoft Steam Games Will Follow
Ubisoft says Connect Services will “progressively evolve and roll out to more Ubisoft games on Steam in the future”, although it has not yet revealed which title comes next or provided a wider deployment schedule. The standalone Ubisoft Connect application is not disappearing entirely. It remains Ubisoft’s own PC storefront and library manager, and games purchased directly through Ubisoft will continue using that ecosystem.
Instead, the company appears to be separating the services players actually need from the full launcher when games are purchased through another storefront. That could matter most for upcoming Ubisoft releases such as Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake, which is already confirmed for both Steam and Ubisoft Connect in 2027.
Ubisoft hasn’t confirmed it will use Ubisoft Connect Services yet, but its intention to expand the system makes future releases the obvious place to watch. For now, Steam owners of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown get to be the test subjects, at least for this particular experiment.
