Ubisoft appears to be working on a visual and functional rework of the Ubisoft Connect game client, according to leaks. Though it's only been a few years since Ubisoft Connect first launched as a replacement for the aging UPlay application, it seems that the company is looking at ways to modernize and streamline its PC client further, as the beta version apparently takes its cues from the Epic Games Store.
Ubisoft Connect came out in 2020 as the company essentially prepared for a complete and comprehensive rebranding of its PC gaming client. Some of its biggest draws at the time were the improvements to update deployment systems and a better reward structure for players, though it did end up inheriting some of UPlay's existing issues, such as its problems with remembering the users' login information.
Now, almost three years after Ubisoft Connect first came out, the publisher is reportedly gearing up for a comprehensive update to the game client. Respawn First was provided with a slew of screenshots featuring the new and improved Ubisoft Connect 2.0, and it seems that its design language borrows heavily from the Epic Games Store in particular. According to the leaked images, the majority of the UI is dark and sleek, and some of the highlights include a reworked home page, login screen, and game library pages.
The featured version of Ubisoft Connect 2.0 is currently undergoing a beta stress test, and the source claims that it is slowly being rolled out to a small number of users, meaning that it's not necessarily going to look like an offshoot of the Epic Games Store once it fully launches to a more widespread audience. Since Steam Deck users can easily install the Epic Games Launcher, Ubisoft is hopefully taking this functionality into account too.
Since Ubisoft is closing some of its offices at this time, the timing of Ubisoft Connect 2.0's development is somewhat curious. Since the only source of the idea that a new Connect client is being worked on is an out-of-the-blue leak, however, it's likely that this rework has been coming for some time now, and that it's simply trucking along in its development process regardless of what's going on at the company in a broader sense.
Indeed, Ubisoft's stock price plummeted early in 2023, sending the company into a frenzy with studio closures and not insignificant layoffs. Assets have also been sold off, and the next two years will see Ubisoft go through a comprehensive restructuring, resulting in a depreciation of roughly €500 million of capitalized R&D once everything is said and done. This has been described as "natural attrition" by studio heads, and it's bound to affect Ubisoft in the long run.
Source: Respawnfirst