<s>
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
(	O
formerly	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
)	O
is	O
a	O
digital	O
distribution	O
,	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
,	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
communications	O
service	O
developed	O
by	O
Ubisoft	O
to	O
provide	O
an	O
experience	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
achievements/trophies	O
offered	O
by	O
various	O
other	O
game	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
is	O
used	O
exclusively	O
by	O
first-party	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
although	O
some	O
third-party	O
ones	O
are	O
sold	O
through	O
the	O
Ubisoft	O
store	O
,	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
use	O
the	O
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
serves	O
as	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
a	O
free	O
reward	O
system	O
(	O
formerly	O
Ubisoft	O
Club	O
)	O
and	O
online	O
profile	O
system	O
for	O
players	O
of	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
client	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
also	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
storefront	O
and	O
digital	O
download	O
management	O
tool	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
client	O
also	O
maintains	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
for	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
be	O
run	O
for	O
any	O
Ubisoft	O
game	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
purchased	O
on	O
a	O
different	O
storefront	O
such	O
as	O
through	O
Steam	B-Application
or	O
the	O
Epic	O
Games	O
Store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
optional	O
subscription	O
service	O
,	O
Ubisoft+	B-Application
(	O
formerly	O
Uplay+	B-Application
)	O
,	O
allows	O
subscribers	O
to	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
full	O
library	O
of	O
games	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
immediate	O
access	O
to	O
its	O
newest	O
games	O
and	O
closed	O
beta	O
tests	O
for	O
upcoming	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
reward	O
system	O
was	O
first	O
introduced	O
alongside	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
II	I-Application
on	O
17	O
November	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
reward	O
system	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
connect	O
with	O
other	O
gamers	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
earn	O
rewards	O
based	O
on	O
achievements	O
(	O
called	O
"	O
Actions	O
"	O
)	O
in	O
Uplay-enabled	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
Ubisoft	O
CEO	O
Yves	O
Guillemot	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
more	O
you	O
play	O
,	O
the	O
more	O
free	O
goods	O
you	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
have	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
client	O
was	O
introduced	O
on	O
3	O
July	O
2012	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
launcher	O
,	O
incorporating	O
its	O
features	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
management	O
of	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
rewards	O
and	O
a	O
digital	O
storefront	O
for	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
required	O
an	O
online	B-Application
pass	I-Application
known	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
Uplay	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
"	O
to	O
access	O
online	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
discontinue	O
its	O
use	O
of	O
online	O
passes	O
on	O
future	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
made	O
the	O
Uplay	B-Application
Passport	I-Application
for	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
IV	I-Application
:	I-Application
Black	I-Application
Flag	I-Application
available	O
at	O
no	O
charge	O
effective	O
immediately	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ubisoft	O
Club	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
October	O
2015	O
,	O
which	O
transitioned	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
reward	O
system	O
facets	O
of	O
UPlay	B-Operating_System
to	O
this	O
program	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
adding	O
further	O
ways	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
earn	O
points	O
towards	O
rewards	O
by	O
playing	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uplay+	B-Application
,	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
service	O
giving	O
the	O
subscriber	O
full	O
access	O
to	O
over	O
100	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Ubisoft	O
catalog	O
including	O
immediate	O
access	O
to	O
new	O
games	O
and	O
closed	O
beta	O
tests	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
during	O
E3	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uplay+	B-Application
launched	O
on	O
September	O
3	O
,	O
2019	O
in	O
beta	O
form	O
,	O
with	O
full	O
expansion	O
in	O
early	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
was	O
offered	O
both	O
through	O
the	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
store	O
,	O
as	O
will	O
be	O
an	O
option	O
for	O
Stadia	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
Ubisoft	O
Club	O
were	O
merged	O
into	O
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
would	O
offer	O
the	O
same	O
features	O
but	O
also	O
enable	O
current	O
and	O
future	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
to	O
support	O
cross-saves	O
and	O
cross-play	B-Application
between	O
platforms	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
cloud	O
gaming	O
platforms	O
including	O
Stadia	B-Application
and	O
Amazon	B-Operating_System
Luna	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Ubisoft	O
said	O
that	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
older	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
UPlay	B-Operating_System
library	O
will	O
not	O
be	O
transitioned	O
to	O
support	O
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
's	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
they	O
unlocked	O
all	O
the	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
rewards	O
associated	O
with	O
these	O
games	O
for	O
all	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
transition	O
from	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
to	O
Ubisoft	B-Operating_System
Connect	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
Uplay+	B-Application
service	O
was	O
rebranded	O
as	O
"	O
Ubisoft+	B-Application
"	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
offering	O
expanded	O
to	O
include	O
the	O
Amazon	B-Operating_System
Luna	I-Operating_System
cloud	O
gaming	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
reception	O
of	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
with	O
reviewers	O
and	O
the	O
public	O
had	O
been	O
largely	O
negative	O
,	O
primarily	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
DRM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
games	O
that	O
incorporated	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
required	O
players	O
to	O
maintain	O
a	O
constant	O
connection	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
,	O
and	O
if	O
the	O
connection	O
was	O
lost	O
during	O
gameplay	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
halt	O
,	O
sending	O
users	O
back	O
to	O
their	O
last	O
checkpoint	O
or	O
save	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
specific	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
scheme	O
quickly	O
came	O
under	O
fire	O
after	O
a	O
denial-of-service	O
attack	O
on	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
DRM	O
servers	O
in	O
early	O
March	O
2010	O
rendered	O
Silent	B-Application
Hunter	I-Application
5	I-Application
and	O
Assassin	B-Application
's	I-Application
Creed	I-Application
II	I-Application
unplayable	O
for	O
several	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
always-on	O
requirement	O
was	O
quietly	O
lifted	O
for	O
existing	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
games	O
towards	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2010	O
,	O
being	O
changed	O
to	O
a	O
single	O
validation	O
on	O
game	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
always-on	O
requirement	O
made	O
a	O
return	O
in	O
2011	O
with	O
the	O
releases	O
of	O
Driver	B-Application
:	I-Application
San	I-Application
Francisco	I-Application
and	O
From	B-Application
Dust	I-Application
,	O
the	O
latter	O
having	O
been	O
explicitly	O
stated	O
by	O
Ubisoft	O
prior	O
to	O
release	O
to	O
only	O
require	O
a	O
one-time	O
online	O
activation	O
on	O
install	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	B-Application
Dust	I-Application
was	O
later	O
patched	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
always-on	O
requirement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
The	B-Application
Crew	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
required	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
be	O
always	O
online	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ars	O
Technica	O
's	O
Kyle	O
Orland	O
says	O
that	O
"	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
has	O
not	O
exactly	O
endeared	O
itself	O
to	O
the	O
PC	O
gaming	O
community	O
"	O
,	O
describing	O
a	O
history	O
of	O
technical	O
errors	O
and	O
problems	O
related	O
to	O
its	O
DRM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Geoffrey	O
Tim	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
lazygamer.net,	O
called	O
it	O
the	O
"	O
worst	O
thing	O
"	O
about	O
Ubisoft	O
's	O
"	O
otherwise	O
excellent	O
"	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
particularly	O
criticized	O
it	O
for	O
running	O
alongside	O
Steam	B-Application
when	O
Ubisoft	O
games	O
are	O
purchased	O
on	O
that	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writing	O
a	O
comparison	O
for	O
GadgetReview	O
in	O
which	O
he	O
compared	O
the	O
three	O
major	O
distribution	O
platforms	O
—	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
,	O
Valve	O
's	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
 '	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
—	O
Shawn	O
Sanders	O
criticized	O
it	O
for	O
using	O
large	O
amounts	O
of	O
memory	O
while	O
offering	O
fewer	O
features	O
than	O
its	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Summarizing	O
popular	O
opinion	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
,	O
VG247	O
's	O
Brenna	O
Hillier	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
less	O
popular	O
PC	O
DRM	O
systems	O
,	O
but	O
all	O
your	O
fervent	O
wishing	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
die	O
has	O
not	O
been	O
successful.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Joshua	O
Wolens	O
of	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
Have	O
you	O
ever	O
launched	O
a	O
game	O
from	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
only	O
to	O
watch	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
or	O
UPlay	B-Operating_System
spark	O
to	O
life	O
,	O
and	O
thought	O
"	O
Ah	O
,	O
yes	O
,	O
how	O
pleased	O
I	O
am	O
to	O
see	O
you	O
"	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2012	O
Tavis	O
Ormandy	O
,	O
an	O
Information	O
Security	O
Engineer	O
at	O
Google	O
,	O
claimed	O
that	O
"	O
Uplay	B-Operating_System
"	O
DRM	O
is	O
a	O
rootkit	O
and	O
poses	O
a	O
serious	O
security	O
risk	O
.	O
</s>
