Assassin's Creed Unity sets a new low for pre-order bonuses

Get five chances to win an in-game spear!

Virtual slot machines, that's where we're at folks (Ubisoft)

Video game pre-order bonuses have long since been a bit of a joke, usually revolving around exclusive DLC that grants the protagonist a funny hat or something, but Assassin's Creed Unity's effort is verging on a parody of pre-order schemes.

In a trailer aimed at the US market, Ubisoft encourages gamers to buy early so they can crank a virtual slot machine in the hope of winning prizes including a downloadable spear and branded console skins.

Don't get too excited though, the pre-order only grants you five spins a week, and they can only be cashed in on Fridays.

Admittedly pre-ordering is not essential, and the very top prizes of trips to Comic-Con and Paris are decent, but it's still pretty insulting when you're asking gamers to part with $60 for the latest title in a relentlessly churned out franchise.

"That's crazy awful. Screw you Ubisof," one YouTuber commented, with another adding:"So, so embarrassing that the industry has reached this point..."

It hasn't been a good month for Ubisoft, with Unity also getting in trouble over its depiction of female characters (or lack thereof) and new title Watch Dogs coming with some glaring flaws.