Ubisoft Sued Over The Crew: Players Don't Own Bought Games

Ubisoft has made it clear that purchasing one of their games does not grant players "unfettered ownership rights" but rather a "limited license to access the game." This statement was part of their defense in a legal case brought against them by two dissatisfied players of The Crew, following Ubisoft's decision to shut down the original racing game last year.

As of the end of March 2024, The Crew, released in 2014, is no longer playable. Regardless of whether it was purchased physically or digitally, the game cannot be accessed in any form, as the servers were completely shut down. Ubisoft did take steps to create offline versions for The Crew 2 and its sequel, The Crew: Motorfest, allowing continued play, but no such efforts were made for the original game.

At the end of last year, two gamers filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft, asserting that they believed they were "paying to own and possess the video game The Crew instead of paying for a limited license to use The Crew." The lawsuit used an analogy comparing the situation to buying a pinball machine that later becomes unplayable due to missing components.

According to Polygon, the plaintiffs allege that Ubisoft violated several California laws, including the False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, as well as common law fraud and breach of warranty claims. They also argued that Ubisoft contravened California's law on gift card expiration, pointing out that the activation code for The Crew suggested playability until 2099.

In response, Ubisoft's legal team stated that the plaintiffs were informed at the time of purchase that they were buying a license, not owning the game outright. They also noted that the Xbox and PlayStation packaging contained a prominent notice in capital letters about the potential cancellation of online features with 30 days' notice.

Ubisoft has filed a motion to dismiss the case, but should the lawsuit proceed, the plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial. In response to similar issues, digital marketplaces like Steam now explicitly warn customers that they are purchasing a license, not the game itself. This change follows a new law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, mandating clear disclosure of the nature of digital purchases. While this law does not prevent companies from removing access to content, it ensures consumers are aware of the terms before buying.