> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devdocs.xbox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# For Honor case study

> Ubisoft Montreal's Smart Eco Mode — default-on kept 95% of players enabled and won Best Green Tech from Playing for the Planet in 2024.

**Studio:** Ubisoft Montreal<br />**Shipped:** April 2024 (opt-in), March 2025 (Smart Eco Mode as default)<br />**Contributors:** Abhishek Porwal, Nicolas Mivielle

For Honor has been live for 8 years with a large community. During ongoing performance-mode development, Ubisoft Montreal explored the inverse question: what happens if we tune settings **against** peak performance for energy efficiency? The result was **Eco Mode**, targeted specifically at current-generation consoles like XBOX Series X|S.

Eco Mode dynamically tunes graphical parameters without compromising gameplay, ensuring **a minimum framerate of 30 FPS**.

## Eco Mode options

Accessed via game settings:

1. **Off** — disables Eco Mode entirely.
2. **Minimal** — Eco Mode active only within menus.
3. **Smart (default)** — automatically engages after 2+ minutes idle.
4. **Full** — Eco Mode enforced consistently across the game.

An indicator in the top-right of the HUD confirms Eco Mode is active.

## Measured impact

Using the XBOX Sustainability Toolkit measurement tooling, the team measured a **25–30% reduction in energy consumption** in For Honor with Eco Mode active. Testing across hundreds of parameters focused on preserving player experience — the GPU was the dominant power consumer, requiring careful balance.

## Adoption: defaults win

| Release    | Default                       | Adoption  |
| ---------- | ----------------------------- | --------- |
| April 2024 | Performance mode (opt-in Eco) | **\~5%**  |
| March 2025 | **Smart Eco Mode** (default)  | **\~95%** |

Setting Smart Eco Mode as the default moved adoption from **5% to 95%** with no other change to the feature. Eco Mode remains optional and can be turned off at any time in Settings.

## Recognition

In 2024 the initiative won **Best Green Tech** from the [Playing for the Planet Alliance](https://playing4theplanet.org/), positioning Ubisoft as a pioneer of sustainable game development.

## Ubisoft Play Green

Eco Mode supports [Ubisoft's Play Green strategy](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/social-impact/environment) and complements industry efforts like XBOX's energy-aware updates and the Playing for the Planet Alliance.

## Takeaways for other studios

* **Default-on adoption dwarfs opt-in adoption.** 5% → 95% with no feature change.
* **Guarantee a minimum framerate.** Eco Mode preserves 30 FPS — players never fall below a playable floor.
* **Live games can retrofit sustainability.** For Honor was 7+ years old when Eco Mode shipped.
* **Communicate the mode.** A HUD indicator lets players see when Eco Mode is active.

## Related case studies

* [Star Wars Outlaws](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-star-wars-outlaws) (also Ubisoft)
* [Fortnite & Unreal Engine](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-fortnite)
* [Call of Duty](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-cod)
* [The Elder Scrolls Online](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-elder-scrolls-online)
* [Minecraft](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-minecraft)
* [Energy Efficiency Essentials](/build/game-principles/sustainability/energy-efficiency-essentials)


## Related topics

- [Gears of War: Reloaded case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-gears-of-war-reloaded.md)
- [Star Wars Outlaws case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-star-wars-outlaws.md)
- [Sustainability case studies overview](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-overview.md)
- [Minecraft case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-minecraft.md)
- [Halo Infinite case study](/build/game-principles/sustainability/case-studies/case-studies-halo.md)