TheRetroArcade
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Posts: 1,971
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
More headaches for Ubisoft.
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French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir, with support from the Stop Killing Games initiative, has filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft over the 2024 shutdown of the racing game The Crew. An announcement on the UFC-Que Choisir (Google translated) says Ubisoft's decision to the game and revoke licenses "violated fundamental consumer rights," and that "players were never fairly informed about the potentially temporary nature of access to the game they were buying."
The Crew launched in 2014, but became unplayable in April 2024 after Ubisoft closed the servers it depended upon; adding insult to injury, it began stripping people's licenses to the game a few weeks later, presumably to prevent them from playing it on then-hypothetical fan servers. It proved to be a PR botch of truly epic proportions, to the point that Ubisoft promised to never, ever do it again—even as it doggedly defended the initial decision by reminding gamers that they don't actually own their games.
The Stop Killing Games initiative, launched by YouTuber Ross Scott, is maybe the biggest thing to come out of the whole mess. What initially looked to me like a long-shot campaign to squeeze some promissory pleasantries out of game publishers has exploded into something much larger: An EU Citizens Initiative started by STG drew 1.3 million verified signatures and is due to be debated by EU politicians in April, and in February the group announced that it's launching NGOs in Europe and the US.
The UFC-Que Choisir lawsuit is also meaningful. Founded in 1951, the group describes itself as "France's leading consumer association," providing everything from product comparison tools and buying guides to investigative reports, legal advice, lobbying, and direct legal action like this.
The goal of the lawsuit isn't to force Ubisoft to bring back The Crew, but rather to keep this sort of thing from happening again "by obtaining a pioneering decision essential to clarifying the obligations incumbent upon videogame publishers." UFC-Que Choisir said in the lawsuit announcement that it is seeking an end to "harmful practices," a removal of clauses in terms of service agreements that...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
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Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir, with support from the Stop Killing Games initiative, has filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft over the 2024 shutdown of the racing game The Crew. An announcement on the UFC-Que Choisir (Google translated) says Ubisoft's decision to the game and revoke licenses "violated fundamental consumer rights," and that "players were never fairly informed about the potentially temporary nature of access to the game they were buying."
The Crew launched in 2014, but became unplayable in April 2024 after Ubisoft closed the servers it depended upon; adding insult to injury, it began stripping people's licenses to the game a few weeks later, presumably to prevent them from playing it on then-hypothetical fan servers. It proved to be a PR botch of truly epic proportions, to the point that Ubisoft promised to never, ever do it again—even as it doggedly defended the initial decision by reminding gamers that they don't actually own their games.
The Stop Killing Games initiative, launched by YouTuber Ross Scott, is maybe the biggest thing to come out of the whole mess. What initially looked to me like a long-shot campaign to squeeze some promissory pleasantries out of game publishers has exploded into something much larger: An EU Citizens Initiative started by STG drew 1.3 million verified signatures and is due to be debated by EU politicians in April, and in February the group announced that it's launching NGOs in Europe and the US.
The UFC-Que Choisir lawsuit is also meaningful. Founded in 1951, the group describes itself as "France's leading consumer association," providing everything from product comparison tools and buying guides to investigative reports, legal advice, lobbying, and direct legal action like this.
The goal of the lawsuit isn't to force Ubisoft to bring back The Crew, but rather to keep this sort of thing from happening again "by obtaining a pioneering decision essential to clarifying the obligations incumbent upon videogame publishers." UFC-Que Choisir said in the lawsuit announcement that it is seeking an end to "harmful practices," a removal of clauses in terms of service agreements that...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?