Ubisoft doubles down: buying digital games does not grant players any rights to “unlimited access”

One of the controversies that ended 2024 was the shutdown of The Crew, Ubisoft’s racing game released in 2014. This game required an online connection to play, so when the publisher decided to shut down the servers, the game became inaccessible to those who had purchased it in both physical and digital form. Although the community had made efforts to keep the game alive as much as possible, the big surprise came when Ubisoft deleted the digital copies from users’ accounts. This led a group of users to file a lawsuit in early November 2024.

Ubisoft reminds us of a sad reality about video games

Ubisoft has already responded to the lawsuit filed by California gamers who claimed that the French company’s actions “violate the state’s consumer protection laws." However, Ubisoft has filed to dismiss the case (via Polygon), with its lawyers arguing that there is no reason for gamers to believe that they had “unfettered ownership rights in the game.”

“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.

In its response, Ubisoft states through its lawyers that the plaintiffs have no case because of the licensing issue. Along with the response, photos of The Crew box are included, showing that in some versions, Ubisoft is calling it just a licensing issue.

The case is still ongoing, however. In March, the plaintiffs added an addendum with new allegations against the company, stating that “Ubisoft is violating rules regarding the sale of gift certificates,” which they argue could be considered The Crew’s currency. Since gift cards cannot expire in California, the plaintiffs argue that when The Crew closed, so did the in-game credit. Ubisoft now has until April 29th to respond.

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