Ubisoft accused of stealing The Crew from paying customers

Several users across social media platforms like Reddit and X are claiming that Ubisoft has revoked access to The Crew. Users report being met with a warning when they try booting up the game, saying “You no longer have access to this game. Why not check the Store to pursue your adventures?”

I'm getting reports that people are having The Crew revoked on people's accounts on Ubisoft Connect. I'm not sure that even matters since they made it inoperable anyway, but many in Europe seem to think this is illegal. Maybe, doesn't change our plans either way, can only help. — Accursed Farms (@accursedfarms) April 11, 2024

Ubisoft confirmed in late December that it was taking The Crew offline on March 31, 2024. The online-only racing game was initially released on PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on December 2, 2014. Although praised for its open-world design, its always-online nature was a constant point of criticism.

Fast forward to today and the closure of the game’s always-online servers is fueling debates about the lack of consumer protection laws regarding digitally purchased games.

The Need for Better Digital Consumer Protection Laws

As per their official announcement, Ubisoft finally took The Crew’s servers down on March 31, 2024, making it unplayable for everyone. But buyers are insisting that they have the right to continue downloading the game and seeing it on their libraries.

The argument is that just because The Crew’s servers is now offline, Ubisoft doesn’t have the right to restrict access to it, including downloads. Users explain that they had already paid for the license to have the game in their library in perpetuity.

UsedSoft GmbH v Oracle International Corp set a precedent that the idea of a free market within the European Economic Area (“EEA””) overrules this kind of intervention from copyright owners of software who sell licenses to their digital products to consumers like Ubisoft.

Consumers are now calling for legislation to pass laws protecting them from publishers suddenly revoking licenses to prevent similar situations.

One Reddit user lucked out by asking for a refund for their copy of The Crew via PlayStation Support. However, not everyone agrees with refunds. As another Reddit user pointed out, a publisher shouldn’t be able to undo a transaction in the same way that users can’t undo a purchase and get a refund whenever they feel like it.

In an attempt to hold publishers responsible and protect your video game, you can got to Stop Killing Videogames to do your part.

Here is their statement regarding the situation:

The videogame “The Crew”, published by Ubisoft, was recently destroyed for all players and had a playerbase of at least 12 million people. Due to the game’s size and France’s strong consumer protection laws, this represents one of the best opportunities to hold a publisher accountable for this action. If we are successful in charges being pressed against Ubisoft, this can have a ripple effect on the videogames industry to prevent publishers from destroying more games.