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Ubisoft announced today that, in an effort to go green, they are eliminating printed game manuals from their upcoming releases. Skeptics will undoubtedly see such a move as simply a way for the company to save some green rather than altruistically just going green. On the other hand, review outfits such as CheatCC.com recently received review code from Ubisoft for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction that didn’t include a game manual, either—we were simply given a URL to a digital version of the manual, which hints at a company-wide effort to be more environmentally friendly in all facets. Of course, Ubisoft will save money on printing, paper, and shipping fees over the years, but the company claims that putting together digital manuals will cost more to develop because they will be more extensive, which may offset any potential savings—we doubt that very much, however.
Finally, eliminating printed manuals may also be a way for Ubisoft to get consumers used to receiving retail goods that are essentially identical to their digital counterparts. Under the guise of going green, Ubisoft could fundamentally narrow the gap of perceived value between boxed, retail versions of their games and those brought to consumers via digital download. This could be the start of shepherding gamers away from bricks and mortar and into virtual game stores—eliminating third-party vendors and tangible goods fabrication. We’ll have to wait and see if other industry leaders, namely EA and Activision, follow suit. |
