Ubisoft Faces Lawsuit Over Ownership Rights of The Crew

Ubisoft has emphasized that purchasing a game grants players a "limited license to access the game," rather than "unfettered ownership rights." This statement was made in response to a lawsuit filed by two disgruntled players of The Crew, who challenged Ubisoft's decision to terminate the original racing game's servers in March 2024, rendering the 2014 title completely unplayable.

Despite Ubisoft's efforts to develop offline versions for The Crew 2 and The Crew: Motorfest, no such option was provided for the first game. The lawsuit, initiated at the end of last year, claims that the gamers were misled into believing they were buying permanent ownership of The Crew, not just a temporary license.

The plaintiffs drew a vivid analogy, likening their situation to purchasing a pinball machine that later becomes unusable due to missing parts. They accuse Ubisoft of violating 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. They also argue that Ubisoft contravened state regulations on gift cards by allowing the game's activation code, valid until 2099, to expire prematurely.

Ubisoft, however, contends that consumers were fully informed at the time of purchase that they were acquiring a license, not outright ownership. The company's legal team pointed out that the game's packaging on Xbox and PlayStation included explicit notices in capital letters, warning that Ubisoft could terminate access to online features with 30 days' notice.

In response to the lawsuit, Ubisoft has moved to have the case dismissed. Should this motion fail, the plaintiffs are prepared to take the matter to a jury trial.

In light of these events, digital marketplaces like Steam have updated their policies to clearly inform customers that they are purchasing a license, not a game. This change follows a new law signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, requiring digital marketplaces to disclose the licensing nature of media purchases. Although this law does not stop companies from withdrawing access to content, it mandates transparency about the nature of the purchase before the transaction is completed.