In December 2023, Ubisoft attracted the wrath of players by announcing the closure of The Crew servers and the withdrawal of the game from the various stores, simply making the title inaccessible forever, even if you had purchased the game in physical edition. This event caused a lot of noise and today we discover that two Californian players are suing the company in a class action.
Ubisoft sued
- “Give for good care”
The complaint, filed on November 4, 2024 in California and highlighted in the columns of Polygon, denounces that Ubisoft allegedly deceived consumers by making them believe that they were purchasing a game, when they were only acquiring a license , even through the purchase of a physical disk.
Lawyers compare the situation to buying a pinball machine whose parts have been removed by the manufacturer, rendering it unusable.
Imagine buying a pinball machine and, years later, walking into your living room to play it, only to find that all the paddles are gone, the pinball machine and bumpers are gone, and the screen that proudly displayed your unassailable best score has been removed. […] It turns out the pinball machine manufacturer has decided to come into your home, gut the inside of the pinball machine, and deprive you of the ability to play the game you bought and thought you owned
According to the article, the plaintiffs purchased the game in physical form well before the end of its lifespan, in 2018 and 2020. The lawsuit states that neither would have purchased the game “at the same conditions” of price, knowing that the game servers could be taken offline.
No comments from Ubisoft
Asked on the subject by Polygon, Ubisoft did not wish to comment. The company, which has not been celebrating lately, had however partially responded to the outcry from players by offering offline modes for several titles like Knockout City Assassin's Creed 2 and 3, and is also planning offline modes for The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest.
The lawsuit claims, however, that this does not change the problem of the closure of the servers of the first The Crew.
This legal action comes in a context where digital ownership and the issue of purchasing licenses are causing increasing concern. Last April, YouTuber Ross Scott launched the Stop Killing Games movement, consisting in particular of a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures.
More recently, a law requiring better transparency on the purchase of licenses was passed in California, a sign that things are being taken seriously and are starting to reach the authorities able to act.
