Lawsuit against Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew has an update
The plaintiffs filing a class action suit against Ubisoft for shutting down The Crew have updated the ongoing case. This is a case that could have huge impacts.
Ubisoft has been at the center of an ongoing legal case for the last few years regarding the shut down of servers for studio closures and layoffs. But this tackles something completely different: game ownership.
The potential class action lawsuit against Ubisoft has an update
Over the last year or so, players have become more aware of the cost of digital purchases all while video game publishers continue to push for digital over physical. Just look at Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle only includes a digital copy of the new racing game. Players who would rather have the physical version will need to purchase it separately, essentially paying an extra $30 since the game is $80 on its own but only brings the $450 Switch 2 up to $500 in the bundle. Pushing players to digital games saves game-makers the cost of producing physical copies and allows them to decide to stop paying for server upkeep at any moment.
The current issue with Ubisoft started in 2023 when they announced The Crew’s servers would be shutting down. Since the game was “always online,” this essentially meant anyone who purchased the game since 2014 could no longer play the game. This encouraged several plaintiffs to file a class action lawsuit, arguing that Ubisoft had no right to restrict access to a game many people had purchased. But Ubisoft has argued against these claims, saying that there was no reason for players to expect “unfettered ownership rights in the game.”
Today, Polygon spotted an update to this case. The plaintiffs reportedly shared images of The Crew’s packaging with the court, which states that the activation code for the game doesn’t expire until the year 2099, which could imply how long the game was intended to be playable for. The plaintiffs also introduced an interesting argument, pointing out that The Crew’s in-game currency could be considered a gift card, which legally is not allowed to expire. The argument points out that Ubisoft shutting down servers essentially nullified these “gift cards.” Ubisoft has until April 29th to respond.
You may recall that in recent months, Steam has begun making it more apparent that s are only purchasing a license for their games, not the games themselves. This comes from a California law signed in 2024 that requires companies to make this a more obvious fact to consumers. Also, back in February, PlayStation Network experienced a nearly 24-hour outage, resulting in many s losing access to their games over the weekend. Some changes are happening, and generally public perception appears to be moving against this shift to digital. However, digital video game sales continue to grow, while physical continues to shrink. We will have to wait to see how this potential class action against Ubisoft plays out.
- “Stop Killing Games.” Big Campaign Targeting Publishers Launched. Ending Ubisoft’s of the Crew a Flashpoint
- Gamers Intensify Fight Over Games. They Want to Force Publishers to Keep Them in Playable Condition
- Campaign Against Killing Games Continues. We Asked Its Organizer About Future and Lawyers' Opinions About The Crew
