Ubisoft insists buying a game from them doesn't mean you own it

Ubisoft has made an argument in a court case that people who buy games don't actually have ownership rights over them.

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The comments from the Assassin's Creed developer came about during a dismissal of a case filed against them by two The Crew players who have taken the company to court over its decision to shut down game servers last year. Ubisoft announced that 2014's The Crew will no longer be playable as it is switching off the servers of the game at the end of March 2024. Despite having ownership of the game, whether that be digitally or physically, owners will no longer have access to the title after the aforementioned date.

The two players suing Ubisoft over this decision state they were "under the impression" they were "paying to own and possess the video game The Crew instead of paying for a limited license to use The Crew." The lawsuit alleges that Ubisoft violated California's False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, along with "common law fraud and breach of warranty claims." Moreover, the lawsuit also claims Ubisoft broke California's state law surrounding gift cards, which are prohibited from expiring.

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Adding to the lawsuit's credibility, the two players provided images that show the game's activation code states it will not expire until 2099, which they allege implies the game will be playable until at least this time. As you can probably imagine, Ubisoft doesn't agree with the two players' allegations, filing a motion to dismiss the case.

"Plaintiffs allege that they purchased physical copies of The Crew under the belief that they were obtaining unfettered access to the game in perpetuity. Plaintiffs also take issue with the fact that Ubisoft did not offer to create an 'offline, single-player option of the Game, otherwise known as a 'patch' when it shut down The Crew's servers in March 2024," Ubisoft's lawyers wrote.

"The [essence] of the plaintiffs' complaint is that Ubisoft allegedly misled purchasers of its video game The Crew into believing they were purchasing unfettered ownership rights in the game, rather than a limited license to access the game. But the reality is that consumers received the benefit of their bargain and were explicitly notified, at the time of purchase, that they were purchasing a license."

Ubisoft's lawyers also point out that Xbox and PlayStation packaging has a "clear and conspicuous notice - in all capital letters - that Ubisoft may cancel access to one or more specific online features upon a 30-day prior notice."

In the event the case is dismissed the two The Crew players have demanded a jury trial.