this post was submitted on 10 Apr 2025
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Ubisoft holds firm in The Crew lawsuit: You don’t own your video games (www.polygon.com)
submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/games@sh.itjust.works
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Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.09-191645/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/555469/ubisoft-holds-firm-in-the-crew-lawsuit-you-dont-own-your-video-games

Ubisoft responded to California gamers’ The Crew shutdown lawsuit in late February, filing to dismiss the case. The company’s lawyers argued in that filing, reviewed by Polygon, that there was no reason for players to believe they were purchasing “unfettered ownership rights in the game.” Ubisoft has made it clear, lawyers claimed, that when you buy a copy of The Crew, you’re merely buying a limited access license.

“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,” Ubisoft’s lawyers wrote.

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[–] Wytch@lemmy.cafe 15 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I mean... yeah, we don't. And we know it. That's kind of the whole issue. But it's obviously more nuanced or we wouldn't have a problem with the system. We kind of want ownership, or more of it. More say in what we can do with the things we buy.

Licence is a separate category from ownership. Clear distinction in marketing, sales, and operation would help a lot with these conflicts. Selling them with the same techniques, channels, and methods gives players a false sense of permanence even if they're labelled as services.

Not sure what that distinction would look like. But it should look more honest.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Honestly, that's probably where GOG fits in. They grant you a license to download the full game without DRM. I don't know if they already do this, but if a game is planned to be delisted, they could warn players and allow them to download a final copy that should work whether the listing exists or not.

In that way, you have a coexisting license and ownership of what you pay for.

[–] KokoSabreScruffy@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

If a game gets delisted from the store you can still download it if you have bought it. On GOG's discord they have a channel to warn when a game gets delisted.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 1 points 4 days ago

That's awesome! Now, if only they could get better Linux support...

[–] lunarul@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Not sure what that distinction would look like. But it should look more honest.

Just look at all MMOs. Everybody knows the game will only last as long as the servers are alive and that all you're downloading is a game client. Even if it's a one time purchase and no subscription (e.g. Elder Scrolls Online), its very clear you're only buying access to the game (usually part of the game content, other parts cost extra), not the game itself.