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Ubisoft just broke their games on Linux desktop and Steam Deck

By - | Views: 129,049

Update 21:17: Looks like Proton developers have updated the "bleeding-edge" Beta for Proton Experimental, that works around the issue. Note: using it can cause other issues, the Beta doesn't have a lot of testing, you've been warned.

If you go into the Properties on Proton Experimental in your Steam Library, and opt into the "bleeding-edge" Beta, then set your Ubisoft games to use Proton Experimental it will fix it for now until a proper Proton update is out. 

Update 22:11: Valve released a Proton Experimental (no Beta needed) fix for this.


Original article below

Third-party launchers on Steam are once again being a massive nuisance. First it was EA breaking everything on Linux and Steam Deck and now it's Ubisoft telling everyone to hold their beer.

Valve fixed the EA App in Proton after a while, and it's likely we're going to need to wait on a fix from Valve again for whatever Ubisoft changed in the latest Ubisoft Connect update.

When you go to launch any game on desktop Linux or Steam Deck that uses Ubisoft Connect, it will do an update and then you'll be greeted with this:

That picture above is from my Fedora Linux desktop trying Ghost Recon Breakpoint today.

After testing The Division 2, Watch Dogs Legion, Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Ghost Recon Breakpoint on my Steam Deck too, they all also gave the exact same problem as you'll see in the screenshot below from my Steam Deck:

So it seems that every title that uses Ubisoft Connect, is now left broken on Linux desktop and Steam Deck. This comes only two weeks after Ubisoft fixed The Division 2 for Steam Deck / Linux. Meanwhile, Breakpoint still needs manual fixes.

Why do developers and publishers keep forcing these absolutely useless third-party launchers on us? Never once have I, or anyone I've spoken to, actually wanted them. They only ever cause problems and solve basically nothing that Steam cannot already do directly.

I've logged an official bug report with Valve and notified their developers about it.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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69 comments
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TheSHEEEP Feb 2, 2023
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Steam devs when Ubisoft does just about anything:

LordDaveTheKind Feb 2, 2023
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Why don't Ubisoft (EA, and all these big publishers) push their Launchers to PlayStation and Xbox consoles? I'm curious to see if they are that smug with Sony or Microsoft.


Last edited by LordDaveTheKind on 2 February 2023 at 9:15 am UTC
SSUPII Feb 2, 2023
Quoting: dgwLooking at you, Paradox.

At least their lancher is native, and actually works. You need to give the right credit, as they are the few studios to actually make Linux binaries for their games.
SethM Feb 2, 2023
How is it that Valve is fixing these issues so quickly and the developers (of certain companies ofc), who you would expect to test Proton support at least in passing, are managing to completely break things?
tpau Feb 2, 2023
Quoting: SethMHow is it that Valve is fixing these issues so quickly and the developers (of certain companies ofc), who you would expect to test Proton support at least in passing, are managing to completely break things?

I wouldn't call https://github.com/ValveSoftware/wine/commit/ae2fad7338cc2f914536469656448ecb5fdcf294 a fix, it is a hack and a bandaid solution.
sfjuocekr Feb 2, 2023
Are you also going to write an article everytime Blizzard breaks their launcher?

Currently the launcher simply doesn't start if you don't install the Tahoma font and doing so leads to a peculiar bug that Windows users already had to deal with for a long time...

Everytime my character now flaps on its mount, the nameplate increases in size... same happens when people jump.

This never happened with the fallback font...
scaine Feb 2, 2023
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Quoting: sfjuocekrAre you also going to write an article everytime Blizzard breaks their launcher?

Currently the launcher simply doesn't start if you don't install the Tahoma font and doing so leads to a peculiar bug that Windows users already had to deal with for a long time...

Everytime my character now flaps on its mount, the nameplate increases in size... same happens when people jump.

This never happened with the fallback font...

That's a weird one, sure enough. But I doubt articles about Blizzard are worthy of coverage unless Blizzard themselves announce that they're going to support Linux (or wine/proton). Valve offer a packaged, "turn-key" solution to play Windows games on Linux/Deck - Steam. So if a Steam-launched game that was working stops working, I think that's big news (as in, literally, I'm directly affected - I bought the game to play on Linux and now it doesn't work).
Nik_Kotyk Feb 2, 2023
3rd party launchers are reminders of era that ended few years ago, era in which every publisher, studio and their grandmothers thought they can do their own stores fronts, DRM and data collection. Nowadays it just clunky dependency, that eventually gonna lead to titles becoming unplayable even if own copy on steam, Linux or not. It happened before and doomed to happen again.
As much as I hate steam for being the same thing, if steam goes out of business all your collections of video games will turn into pumpkin. But unlike all the failed attempts - steam seems more resilient to complete collapse and remains trustworthy. DRM never protected anything, but suits sleep better at nights knowing it's there.
InhaleOblivion Feb 2, 2023
This whole ordeal just proves that for Ubisoft they clearly aren't selling in house games as well on their own platform. Nor have they dedicated any additional resources to the Steam releases. Even the games achievements are still synced through Ubisoft Connect and can can break if you afk in their games too long. Long standing bugs still exist in their games like The Division 2.(you can become trapped in the NYC zone for example and cause the game to crash by simply opening the map to DC). I don't plan to purchase any additional games from them going forward. The irony is I was sent an invite to test their new game The Crew Motorfest.
MadWolf Feb 2, 2023
hi
I am testing Assassin’s Creed Chronicles China and Ubisoft connect is stuck looking for patches
Linux Mint 21.1 Cinnamon
6.1.8-x64v1-xanmod1
Proton Experimental, not Proton Experimental bleeding-edge
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