Valve could soon be forced to make Steam game libraries inheritable

The European Union is currently drafting laws through a project that would enable game buyers to pass on their collected digital inheritance.

Valve could soon be forced to make Steam game libraries inheritable
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Tech and Science Editor
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TL;DR: Digital assets are increasingly valuable, but current laws do not allow for the transfer of Steam accounts after the owner's death. Valve confirmed that Steam accounts are non-transferable.

Every day, more people are connected to the internet, and with the digital age becoming so engrained in our everyday lives, digital assets have become extremely valuable.

32:02 for the most relevant part

For example, Steam libraries can amass thousands of games which the owner has spent thousands of dollars to obtain. However, in the event of the owner passing, there are currently no laws that force Valve to transfer the account to the new owner if it's named in the original owner's will. In fact, this very scenario was proposed to Valve only earlier this year when it confirmed Steam accounts are non-transferable and that Steam Support is unable to merge account contents.

"I regret to inform you that your Steam account cannot be transferred via a will," wrote the representative from Valve. However, that might change as the European Law Institute, a non-profit organization designed to make recommendations and provide practical guidance on European legal development, has initiated work on a project that focuses on how to implement new laws that enable the succession of all digital assets, and any other "digital remains".

Valve could soon be forced to make Steam game libraries inheritable 651156516

"The main outcome of this project will be model Law/rules (and principles, for issues/areas where a model law is not suitable) aimed at influencing European legislation on the definition, scope, entitlement and access to the digital assets and data of a deceased person. These provisions would, if legislated, prevail over the contractual agreement between service providers and the deceased and harmonise the data protection standards in this field," reads the project's intended outcome

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Jak joined the TweakTown team in 2017 and has since reviewed 100s of new tech products and kept us informed daily on the latest science, space, and artificial intelligence news. Jak's love for science, space, and technology, and, more specifically, PC gaming, began at 10 years old. It was the day his dad showed him how to play Age of Empires on an old Compaq PC. Ever since that day, Jak fell in love with games and the progression of the technology industry in all its forms.

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