Ubisoft attributes the sudden appearance of a fullscreen pop-up ad in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to a “technical error.” Users on Reddit reported spotting these pop-ups on both Xbox and PlayStation versions of the game, particularly when navigating to the map screen. One Reddit user expressed disgust at encountering such interruptions during gameplay, reflecting a general sentiment against these intrusive pop-ups.
In response to this issue, Ubisoft’s spokesperson, Fabien Darrigues, acknowledged the problem, stating, “We have been made aware that some players encountered pop-up ads while playing certain Assassin’s Creed titles yesterday. This was the result of a technical error that we addressed as soon as we learned of the issue.”
Initially, it was unclear why the game suddenly displayed Black Friday pop-up ads promoting Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s Creed versions. However, Ubisoft later clarified the situation in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The publisher explained that it intended to feature an ad for Assassin’s Creed Mirage on the main menu of other Assassin’s Creed games but a “technical error” caused the promotion to appear in in-game menus instead. Ubisoft claims to have resolved the issue.
While Microsoft has previously used fullscreen Xbox pop-up ads to promote its games, which annoyed some Xbox users upon booting up the console, these ads are distinct from the in-game interruptions experienced in Ubisoft’s case. Unlike typical ads seen on game consoles, such as billboards in games like Saints Row 2 or in-game ads in EA Games titles from the mid-to-late 2000s, fullscreen pop-up ads during gameplay are highly unusual.
The idea of encountering such intrusive ads in games for which players have already paid a premium price, like $70, raises concerns. Hopefully, Ubisoft’s attributed “technical error” won’t become a common occurrence in the gaming industry.
