Assassin's Creed Valhalla Won't Launch on Steam, Is An Epic Games Store Exclusive

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is launching this year on current and next-gen consoles, including Xbox Series X and PS5, as well as PC. Like previous Ubisoft games, it will be released on PC through Ubisoft's Uplay service, but it will also be available to purchase on the Epic Games Store--instead of Steam.

Ubisoft has confirmed that Valhalla will only be sold on Uplay and the Epic Games Store as its exclusive third-party option. The franchise's return after a year away is sure to be a big draw for Epic's digital store, which has seen an increasing number of third-party games launch as exclusives over the last year.

Valhalla will become the first mainline new installment in Assassin's Creed series to skip Steam. It will also be the first game in the series to launch for next-generation platforms. 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey and the rest of the earlier games are available to buy on Steam now.

The Division 2 was Ubisoft's first big game to launch as an exclusive on the Epic Games Store. At the Game Developers Conference in 2019, Ubisoft and Epic extended their publishing deal for future titles, and now we know one of them is Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

The Division 2 was never released on Steam, but the exact terms of Ubisoft's deal with Epic for Valhalla are unknown. Many of the other Epic exclusives, such as 2K's Borderlands 3, did eventually release on Steam.

Ubisoft is avoiding Steam because of its business model. Vice president Chris Early said in a New York Times interview that Steam's business model is "unrealistic." He added, "It doesn't reflect where the world is today in terms of game distribution."

Steam typically keeps 30 percent of game sales, with 70 percent going to developers/publishers. By contrast, the Epic Games Store offers much more to the people who make games; on the Epic Games Store, 88 percent of revenue goes back to developers.

For more on the game, read our in-depth interview with Assassin's Creed Valhalla's lead writer. We also have information on the setting and protagonist.