Ubisoft’s legal team, representing the well-known French publishing company, recently argued that buying a game doesn’t equate to owning it outright.
In response to a class action lawsuit filed by gamers in California, Ubisoft’s lawyers defended the company’s choice to discontinue “The Crew,” a game that went offline in 2024, a decade after it was first launched. Since “The Crew” needed an online connection to be played, its shutdown means it’s no longer accessible at all.
Remarking on the consumers’ dissatisfaction, Ubisoft’s attorneys noted that players were using a wide-ranging strategy in their lawsuit. According to reports from Polygon, the plaintiffs are acting on behalf of a proposed group of customers across the nation, accusing Ubisoft of various legal violations. These include breaches of California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, along with claims of common law fraud and violations of warranty.
After the initial lawsuit, the plaintiffs adjusted their complaint. They now argue that Ubisoft might have violated state law by rendering unused currency in “The Crew” worthless when the game was retired. They suggest that this unspent currency could be likened to gift cards, which are legally required to retain their value indefinitely. However, this depends on how convincingly they can argue that in-game currency falls under the same category.
