Ubisoft may be pursuing less than honorable sales tactics with For Honor's EU release as, at the time of writing, there is no standard edition of the game available on either the Xbox Live Marketplace or the PlayStation Store. The For Honor Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes various cosmetic and in-game experience enhancing items, is the lowest priced option at £54.99 (UK). The For Honor Gold Edition, which includes these items as well as the season pass, is also available at £79.99. As you can see from the images below, these options are being highlighted on PlayStation Store's home page as the only digital options and a search for For Honor lists only these editions, the separate season pass, and the various in-game currency bundles.
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This is in contrast to the North American Store, which currently has a Standard Edition, Deluxe, and Gold. At the current prices of $59.99/$69.99/$99.99 the For Honor Standard Edition is $10 less than the For Honor Digital Deluxe but no such option exists for those in the UK and EU. A post on the Neogaf forums first spotted the discrepancy earlier today.
The images above show the situation on PSN but the same difference exists between the US and EU versions of the Xbox Live Marketplace, suggesting that this was a deliberate move made by the publisher rather than a specific marketing tactic by either Sony or Microsoft. We have reached out to Ubisoft for further comment on whether this was a deliberate move and whether a digital standard edition will be forthcoming for these territories but, as yet, have had no response.
As any of our readers who have been following our recent Beta coverage and our thoughts on For Honor will know, Ubisoft's medieval melee brawler has been impressing us with its adaptive melee combat system. On the day of the game's release, this news is somewhat less impressive.
Do you think it's okay for Ubisoft to deny the standard edition of For Honor to the UK and EU's digital marketplaces? With the pricey 'early access' season pass and in-game currency packs that cost as much as the game and season pass together, is this a step too far for Ubisoft's marketing department? Give us your take in the comments below!