Ubisoft's The Crew Lawsuit Insists We Do Not Own The Games We Buy

Ubisoft has insisted that buying a crippled doesn't springiness players "unfettered ownership rights" to it, lone a "limited licence to entree the game."

The megacorp's comments travel arsenic it sought to disregard a lawsuit brought by 2 unhappy The Crew players who took the institution to tribunal for shutting down its archetypal racing crippled past year.

2014's The Crew is nary longer playable. No mentation of the game, whether it's carnal oregon integer oregon adjacent if it's owned already, tin beryllium bought and played successful immoderate capacity, with servers going acheronian wholly astatine the extremity of March 2024.

Ubisoft took measures to make offline versions of The Crew 2 and sequel The Crew: Motorfest to alteration players to support playing, but nary akin enactment was taken for the original.

At the extremity of past year, 2 gamers took Ubisoft to court, stating they had been "under the impression" they were "paying to ain and person the video crippled The Crew alternatively of paying for a constricted licence to usage The Crew."

"Imagine you bargain a pinball machine, and years later, you participate your den to spell play it, lone to observe that the each the paddles are missing, the pinball and bumpers are gone, and the show that proudly displayed your unassailable precocious people is removed," the archetypal suit read.

As spotted by Polygon, the claimants accused Ubisoft of violating California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, arsenic good arsenic "common instrumentality fraud and breach of warranty claims." They besides suggest Ubisoft broke California's authorities instrumentality astir acquisition cards, which are not allowed to expire.

The gamers besides provided images that picture the activation codification for the racer intelligibly shows that it does not expire until 2099, which they judge implies "that [The Crew] would stay playable during this clip and agelong thereafter."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ubisoft does not agree.

"Plaintiffs allege that they purchased carnal copies of The Crew nether the content that they were obtaining unfettered entree to the crippled successful perpetuity. Plaintiffs besides instrumentality contented with the information that Ubisoft did not connection to make an 'offline, single-player enactment of the Game, different known arsenic a 'patch' erstwhile it unopen down The Crew’s servers successful March 2024," Ubisoft's lawyers wrote.

"The [essence] of the plaintiffs’ ailment is that Ubisoft allegedly misled purchasers of its video crippled The Crew into believing they were purchasing unfettered ownership rights successful the game, alternatively than a constricted licence to entree the game. But the world is that consumers received the payment of their bargain and were explicitly notified, astatine the clip of purchase, that they were purchasing a license."

The effect further adds that the Xbox and PlayStation packaging incorporate a "clear and conspicuous announcement — successful each superior letters — that Ubisoft whitethorn cancel entree to 1 oregon much circumstantial online features upon a 30-day anterior notice."

Ubisoft has present filed a question to disregard the case. If that fails and the suit does proceed, the 2 plaintiffs person demanded a assemblage trial.

Storefronts including Steam present see an up-front informing to customers that they’re buying a license, not a game. The alteration to Steam came aft California politician Gavin Newsom signed a instrumentality forcing integer marketplaces to marque it wide to customers that erstwhile they bargain media, they lone bargain a licence to that media.

It’s worthy noting that the caller instrumentality inactive doesn't forestall companies from yanking your contented distant from you, but astatine slightest they'll person to pass you astir the existent quality of your acquisition earlier you click that bargain button.

Vikki Blake is simply a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.