Ubisoft Says We Shouldn’t Expect to Own The Games We Buy

Last November, a lawsuit was filed against Ubisoft from two California-based players alleging that the company didn’t give them a warning that when purchasing The Crew on a physical disc, they weren’t actually buying the game but simply purchasing a license to own the game. In April 2024, Ubisoft shut down the servers for The Crew, making it impossible to play the game in any form today. However, the company now says that we shouldn’t expect to own the games we buy, even if they’re on a physical disc.

As reported by Polygon, Ubisoft clapped back at the lawsuit by stating that players shouldn’t expect to own any games they buy, even if they’re physical copies. As players shift more and more towards a digital future, purchasing games physically is becoming less convenient unless you’re a collector or still want to preserve games. Nonetheless, buying games digitally also comes with its own setbacks as companies can decide to shut down servers or wipe the game completely off the market whenever they feel like it.

Ubisoft’s lawyer provided a statement that reads:

“Frustrated with Ubisoft’s recent decision to retire the game following a notice period delineated on the product’s packaging, Plaintiffs apply a kitchen sink approach on behalf of a putative class of nationwide customers, alleging eight causes of action including violations of California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, as well as common law fraud and breach of warranty claims.”

Since The Crew required a constant online connection, it’s no longer playable in any form since the servers were shut down. However, Ubisoft responded to the backlash by announcing that The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest will be receiving offline modes in the future to prevent this sort of thing from happening again. The always-online nature of The Crew franchise is already questionable, so we’re glad to see some steps are being taken.

Source: Polygon