In 2023, Ubisoft removed The Crew racing game from all platforms and shut down the servers for online play (The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest were converted to offline play, but not the original). Some gamers filed lawsuits against Ubisoft claiming that paying for “ownership of the game” should grant perpetual access. Consequently, Ubisoft was accused of breaching advertising and trade laws.
Ubisoft’s attorneys disputed this by stating that purchasing a game does not equate to owning it, but rather acquiring the “right” to play it. This information was clearly stated in the product package at the time of purchase. In this case, Ubisoft disclosed on the game box that “Ubisoft may cancel access to one or more specific online features upon a 30-day prior notice.”
The debate between “buying a game as an owner” versus “purchasing the right to play the game” has been a contentious issue in the digital game marketplace. Steam has even begun labeling purchases as buying the right to play the game.
Source – Polygon, IGN
TLDR: Ubisoft faced legal action over the removal of online features in The Crew game, sparking a debate on ownership versus playing rights in the digital gaming industry.
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