Ubisoft's Free PC Games For Coronavirus Relief Racked Up A Ton Of Downloads

As part of Ubisoft's latest financial briefing, the company provided an overview of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined the steps it's taken to keep its workers safe--including how many players took part in its free games initiative for coronavirus relief.

In a statement, Ubisoft said the health and well-being of its employees remains "our top priority." Ubisoft's teams are now working from home, with the company's IT department helping staffers get up to speed on working in the new remote environment. The publisher described the move as a "challenging new context that has required all our employees to adapt quickly."

Looking ahead, Ubisoft said it is preparing for a future when offices open once more. The company is "taking special precautions to make sure that team members who are returning to the office can do so safely." There is no exact time for when Ubisoft's teams will be able to go back to work, however. Ubisoft has offices around the globe, and local governments will decide when business places can re-open.

A second major element of the pandemic is how it's led to people staying home and playing more games. In turn, the video game industry has seen a significant increase in the money spent on games.

Ubisoft took part in the effort to help people stay entertained during quarantine by releasing some of its popular games for free as part of its "Play Your Part, Play At Home" campaign. Ubisoft gave away copies of Child of Light, Rayman Legends, and Assassin's Creed II for PC, and together, they were redeemed 9 million times, Ubisoft said. Additionally, Ubisoft said teachers are using the Discovery Tour mode in Assassin's Creed Odyssey to help their students learn about ancient Greece.

Ubisoft also adjusted some of its internet bandwidth policies to help decrease the load on networks caused by the influx of people staying at home. What's more, Ubisoft said its teams around the world have donated their time and money to area hospitals and food banks.

Ubisoft's next big game is Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which releases this year as a launch title for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. It will also be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.