Two weeks after the discovery of back-end data (opens in new tab) suggesting that Ubisoft is returning to Steam, it's official: the return will debut on the storefront on December 6 with "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" (opens in new tab It begins with.

Outside of its own online store, Ubisoft has been the exclusive Epic publisher on PC since early 2019. So big titles like "The Division 2," "Far Cry 6," "Ghost Recon Breakpoint," "Watch Dogs Legion," "Rainbow Six Extraction," and, of course, "Valhalla" - by far the most popular digital storefront for PC gamers and has kept them away from Steam, which is the most popular digital storefront for PC gamers by far. As we noted earlier this month when the possibility of Ubisoft's return first came to light, this is an unusual situation: usually, the exclusivity period for the Epic Games Store is a year or sometimes less, but Ubisoft seems content to make the deal indefinite. Ubisoft seems to be happy to keep the contract indefinitely. That's why this Steam comeback is pretty significant.

"Ubisoft is always evaluating ways to bring our games to different audiences wherever they are while providing a consistent player ecosystem through Ubisoft Connect," Ubisoft said in a statement sent to PC Gamer. Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Anno 1800, and Roller Champions are among the Ubisoft titles to be released on Steam.

Ubisoft declined to say why it chose to return to Steam now, but one interpretation is that it signals the end of the backlash against Steam from major publishers, more specifically the 30% cut in sales that Steam takes. Ubisoft is one of the major publishers that entered (or returned to) Steam after dabbling in the standalone business, along with Microsoft (opens in new tab), Electronic Arts (opens in new tab), and Activision (opens in new tab). Valve has not blinked in their absence, and Steam has remained the dominant digital distribution platform for PC games. And with the holiday season just around the corner, there has never been a better time for Ubisoft to make a killing on an Assassin's Creed game that, in case you forgot, has been out for several years.

The Steam version of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, like the Epic and Ubisoft stores, will be available in four editions: standard, deluxe, Ragnarok, and complete, each with its own content pack, expansion content "Dawn of Ragnarok, and a Season Pass. As per Ubisoft's statement, Valhalla will continue to use the Ubisoft Connect client.

Anno 1800 and Roller Champions are not currently listed on Steam, and no date has been announced for their return.