Xbox Disc-to-Digital: Ubisoft joins after all – with more publishers potentially following

Microsoft is currently testing the Xbox Disc-to-Digital program. More specifically, it is a licensing model designed to give physical Xbox games the benefits of digital versions. When users insert a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X (currently $750 on Amazon), an additional digital entitlement is added to their account. This allows the game to be launched without the disc inserted and, where supported, played via Xbox Cloud Gaming or Xbox Play Anywhere.

Testing began on August 31 – initially for select participants in the Xbox Insider Program. At launch, the system already worked with hundreds of games, although titles from several major publishers were missing. In addition to games from Square Enix, SEGA and Bandai Namco, users also noticed the absence of Ubisoft titles. Inserting the corresponding discs resulted in a message saying that no digital license was available. However, Ubisoft is now on board after all.

As Microsoft insider Jez Corden reports on Windows Central, numerous Ubisoft games have since been enabled for the program. These include Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, Trials Fusion and several entries in the Assassin's Creed series. This suggests that Ubisoft had not rejected the program outright, but simply had not yet been enabled when the still-early testing phase began.

More publishers could follow

According to Corden, other unnamed publishers are still reviewing the details before deciding whether to participate. Given Square Enix's existing support for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, the journalist expects the company to join soon – although this has not yet been confirmed. This could potentially make titles such as Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Dragon Quest VII Reimagined eligible for the Disc-to-Digital program as well. However, it is currently unclear exactly which titles would be supported.