California players sue Ubisoft
Two players based in California therefore filed a complaint against Ubisoft, publisher of the online game The Crew, released in 2014. The closure of the servers in March 2024 made the game unusable, given the absence of an offline mode. This decision sparked a wave of discontent among players, some of whom feel wronged. Ubisoft offered refunds, but only for most recent purchasesleaving many long-time buyers without compensation. On November 4, two plaintiffs filed their case in court, claiming that the closure of the servers deprived them of access to a product that they thought possess
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Ownership or license: an ambiguity that poses a problem
In their complaint, relayed by several media, the plaintiffs' lawyers equate the purchase of an online game to that of a physical good, such as a pinball machine. They criticize Ubisoft for only selling a user license, while failing to clearly inform players of the game's dependence on external servers. Closing the servers leaves the game completely unusable.even if the buyers hold the physical support. This file once again raises the question of the distinction between purchasing a game and obtaining a temporary license, a legal vagueness constantly accentuated by the increasing digitalization of content.
Towards collective action for financial compensation
The two players hope to transform their complaint into a class action, thus allowing other owners of The Crew affected by this closure to join the procedure. They are mainly demanding compensation and damages for the injured players.. The Crew's lack of offline mode is seen as a problem here, compared to other Ubisoft titles, such as Assassin's Creed II, which is playable offline. Ubisoft added an offline mode in the sequels to The Crew, but without offering this option for the initial game, which poses a problem here.
The debate around the preservation of online games
This case therefore once again revives the debate on the conservation of online video games. The Stop Killing Games campaign, led by videographer Ross Scott, asks publishers to guarantee prolonged access to their games, even after the end of their commercial exploitation. In California, a recent law requires online stores to indicate that games are sold under licenseand not as physical goods. Except that in all cases, this regulation does not restrict the removal of servers by publishers, which remains a potential obstacle for consumers who want long-term access to the games they purchase.
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