Ubisoft shows it recognizes the importance of mobile with new, free mobile game

The gaming industry is a vast and diverse place and houses just as many differing opinions. However, there is one thing you cannot deny: that mobile – and freemium mobile games to boot – is a market trend that just won’t go away.

Ubisoft Shanghai, best known for its work on Ubisoft’s Splinter Cell series of games, last week released a free-to-play mobile game called The Bot Squad for Android and iOS. Developed in-house at the Shanghai studio, The Bot Squad is a strategy game that involves the player guiding a robot squad along treacherous maps to pick up energy sources.

It’s a strange little game that I feel is somewhat lacking in player incentive, but that’s less important than what it signifies: that Ubisoft – a player in the AAA segment of the industry – recognizes the importance of mobile free-to-play, and the strengths of its various studios around the world.

Ubisoft Shanghai has been working on the free-to-play Endwar Online, a browser game set in Tom Clancy’s Endwar universe, as well as Horse Haven World Adventures, a village management game. The developer/publisher is not going to give up on its successful triple-A franchise any time soon, but I’m guessing an Assassin’s Creed mobile game may not be too far away.

Mobile games are the best way to reach the Asian games market, with many users in the region denied access to triple-A games either because of premium prices, a lack of legitimate or inexpensive consoles, or simply, a lack of steady internet infrastructure.