Ubisoft has introduced a brand‑new initiative known as The Player Council, a play‑testing platform that gives members of the gaming community the opportunity to try out unreleased ideas and to share their thoughts directly with the studios that create them. The service is being rolled out in a soft‑launch phase and is integrated with Ubisoft Connect as well as the Games2Gether community framework, allowing participants to engage with both experimental prototypes and live‑service content for existing PC titles. During this initial phase, four distinct projects are available for testing.
Two of them are early‑stage prototypes: the multiplayer experiment codenamed "Split Point" and a single‑player strategy venture titled "Rook". In addition, two fully released games are being featured for live‑content testing: the extreme‑sports open world "Riders Republic" and the sci‑fi shooter "Atomega". The inclusion of Atomega is particularly noteworthy because the game is slated to receive its first major update in nine years, offering a rare chance for long‑time fans to influence a significant evolution of the title.
Ubisoft explains that the purpose of The Player Council is to create a structured loop where new ideas can be trialed, player reactions can be collected, and the resulting feedback can directly shape future development decisions. In the company's own words, the council will enable teams to "test new ideas, gather player feedback and suggestions, and then make changes and develop future content based on community input." The roadmap for the platform does not stop with the four initial offerings. Ubisoft has announced that two additional cooperative projects, currently referred to as "Codename Decagon" and "Codename Harlequin," will be opened to testers later in the year, expanding the range of genres and gameplay experiences available for community scrutiny.
Signing up for The Player Council is free of charge, but prospective participants must agree to a non‑disclosure agreement before they can apply to any of the listed projects. Once a player has completed the registration process, they can submit applications for the specific titles they are interested in. If a developer approves the request, the tester gains access to the game or prototype, plays through the content, and then submits detailed feedback through the platform’s built‑in tools. Feedback is not a one‑way street.
Players are grouped with other members of the community who are testing the same project, fostering discussion threads where they can debate what works, what feels off‑balance, or what could be refined. Meanwhile, developers periodically share insights into their decision‑making processes, explaining why certain design choices were made and how player input is being weighed during iteration cycles. Ubisoft makes it clear that there is no hidden cost associated with trying out prototypes; the only requirement is an internet connection and, for the live‑content tests, ownership of the base game.
This means that anyone who already owns Riders Republic or Atomega can simply opt in to the testing program and begin contributing without needing to purchase additional content. The platform uses a tiered access model to reward ongoing involvement. All new members start at the "Member Access" level, which grants them basic testing privileges.
As participants provide more feedback and demonstrate consistent engagement, they can unlock higher tiers such as "Insider Access" and "Shaper Access." These elevated levels open the door to more sensitive projects, earlier‑stage builds, and exclusive content that is not yet visible to the broader public. Looking ahead, Ubisoft promises that The Player Council will continue to grow, with fresh tools, experimental features, and brand‑new prototypes being added on a regular basis.
The company sees the council as a living ecosystem that will evolve alongside its portfolio, helping to keep the development pipeline responsive to player expectations. The launch of The Player Council fits into a broader strategic shift announced by Ubisoft last month. In its 2025/26 annual report, the publisher outlined a move toward a "more selective model" for releasing games, aiming to lessen the reliance on high‑profile, single‑launch titles. Instead, Ubisoft intends to lean more heavily on its back‑catalog and on live‑service games that generate steady revenue streams over time.
The report warned that releasing a game prematurely, or launching it alongside a crowded slate of competing releases—whether they be AAA blockbusters, titles with groundbreaking technical or artistic innovations, or major in‑game events—can severely blunt a game's commercial impact. By involving the community early through The Player Council, Ubisoft hopes to fine‑tune its offerings before they hit the wider market, thereby reducing the risk of under‑performing launches and strengthening the long‑term health of its live‑service ecosystem.