Topic: Ubisoft kills paper manuals for all PC, 360, and PS3 games.

[idolminds]

For the environment!

    Today Ubisoft announced an environmental initiative to eliminate paper game manuals, replacing them with an in-game digital manual for all titles on PlayStation 3 (PS3) system and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The program, the first initiative of its kind in the video game industry, launches worldwide with Shaun White Skateboarding this holiday 2010.

    Ubisoft's digital game manuals will provide multiple benefits for the player and the environment. Including the game manual directly in the game will offer the player easier and more intuitive access to game information, as well as allow Ubisoft to provide gamers with a more robust manual. Ubisoft internal data shows that producing one ton of paper used in Ubisoft's game manuals consumes an average of two tons of wood from 13 trees, with a net energy of 28 million BTU's (equivalent to average heating and energy for one home/year), greenhouse gases equivalent of over 6,000 lbs of CO2, and wastewater of almost 15,000 gallons.

    "It's pretty cool that Ubisoft is making a conscious effort to go green with its new video game packaging," commented Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White. "I'm excited for my new skateboarding game to come out and stoked that it will be the very first Ubisoft game to be part of their green packaging initiatives."

    In addition to Ubisoft's efforts to decrease paper usage in its game packaging, Ubisoft has partnered with Technimark, Inc. to release the entertainment industry's most environmentally-responsible DVD case for all of its future PC titles in North America. The 100 percent-recycled polypropylene "ecoTech" DVD case will make its debut with Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction PC video game on April 27, 2010. Ubisoft has featured digital game manuals in its PC titles distributed in North America since March 2010.

    "Ubisoft is often recognized for making great games, but it's a special privilege to be the industry leader at saving trees," said Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America. "Eco-friendly initiatives are important to the global community and introducing in-game digital manuals on Xbox 360 and PS3 is just the latest example of Ubisoft's ongoing commitment to being a more environmentally conscious company."

Yes, for the environment! Save those trees! It has nothing to do with saving a bunch of money on packaging and shipping.

Of course with as tiny as most "manuals" are now, does it really make a difference?

[MysterD]

Good for Ubisoft - saving $$ and saving trees. Best of both worlds.

You know, I pretty much skim through most manuals, these days - most manuals seem to be a waste, anyways. And if I buy a game from Steam and it has a PDF manual, I likely won't read it. Though, some games - normally say RPG's - I go through the paper manual or PDF manual quite a bit.

In the old days - the manual was there to give the player what they could NOT get in-game. As more games give you the story and controls in-game - do we really need manuals anymore?

As long as the game teaches you somehow how to play in-game as you're playing - like in a separate tutorial mode to learn how to play (older games did this; not so much true these days); a tutorial level in a game (opening level of many games); or the game tells you how to do things as you learn new gameplay mechanics slowly as they get unvealed to you (GTA4); or you can just go to the controls and remap them to your liking - so be it.

[Xessive]

Fair enough, I'm all for saving the environment. Will we see an appropriate price drop?

Consider this: we have not seen any relevant price drops in digitally distributed games, which have 0 shipping and packaging costs.

[MysterD]

Fair enough, I'm all for saving the environment. Will we see an appropriate price drop?

Probably not, no.

Consider this: we have not seen any relevant price drops in digitally distributed games, which have 0 shipping and packaging costs.

If I recall, a few years back, some retails - Walmart's, BB, GameStop, CC, and other major retailers - got together and told regular publisher and especially digital publishers i.e. Steam that they must stay w/in their price-range upon release...or else they will no longer carry their games.

Back then, Steam had a presence...but not nowhere to the extent it has now.

I think this is why you see these digital deals - especially Steam - if you buy a new game digitally at full price, then they throw in extra game(s) of a previous series for free; game(s) from the same developer and/or publisher for free; and/or a small $5.00 off.

[gpw11]

I don't think we'd even notice the difference if there was a price drop.  Like, pennies.

[Cobra951]

Today Ubisoft announced an environmental initiative . . .

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*Cough* *Cough* *Choke*

Aw man.  Catching my breath . . .

Tell me another one, self-serving clowns.

[MysterD]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*Cough* *Cough* *Choke*

Aw man.  Catching my breath . . .

Tell me another one, self-serving clowns.

Did they mention anything about ramping-up the amount of servers needed yet for their crazy PC DRM?

[sirean_syan]

Cobra took my response. Anyone who even entertains the idea that this was a move to better serve the environment is kidding themselves.

[W7RE]

I'd love to bitch about Ubisoft cutting corners to save cash, but I never look at manuals. I used to only read them when I got a new game and had time before I could get home and play it, and now I don't even do that. Steam games come with PDF manuals? I had no idea.

[MysterD]

Steam games come with PDF manuals? I had no idea.

If they're a game from a 3rd party - possibly. Depends on if the publisher gives them a PDF manual.

They're often on the game's store page on the right hand side of the page beneath Game Details. Go there where it says "View Manual" and then save it.

For example, A Farewell To Dragons on its Steam store page has on the right side of the page beneath Game Details a spot where you can  view the PDF manual right on there.

[gpw11]

Yeah, most Steam games do have pdf manuals.  When I looked at this story the first time I thought it was just PC games.  No big deal.  Console games though?  Seems weird.

[Pugnate]

I've been saying for years that Ubisoft is a terrible company. It is all coming to light now.