Home >  News >  Ubisoft Sued Over The Crew: Buyers Don't Own Games

Ubisoft Sued Over The Crew: Buyers Don't Own Games

Authore: JosephUpdate:May 20,2025

Ubisoft has emphasized that purchasing a game does not grant players "unfettered ownership rights" to it, but rather a "limited license to access the game."

This statement was made in response to a lawsuit filed by two disgruntled players of The Crew, who challenged Ubisoft's decision to shut down the original racing game last year. Ubisoft sought to dismiss the case brought against them.

The original The Crew, released in 2014, is no longer playable. All versions of the game, whether physical or digital, are inaccessible, as the servers were completely shut down at the end of March 2024.

While Ubisoft took steps to develop offline versions of The Crew 2 and its sequel, The Crew: Motorfest, allowing continued play, no such efforts were made for the original game.

PlayAt the end of last year, two gamers initiated legal action against Ubisoft, asserting that they believed they were "paying to own and possess the video game The Crew instead of paying for a limited license to use The Crew."

The lawsuit drew an analogy, stating, "Imagine you buy a pinball machine, and years later, you enter your den to go play it, only to discover that the all the paddles are missing, the pinball and bumpers are gone, and the monitor that proudly displayed your unassailable high score is removed."

As reported by Polygon, the claimants accused Ubisoft of breaching California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, alongside claims of "common law fraud and breach of warranty." They also argued that Ubisoft contravened California's regulations regarding gift cards, which are prohibited from expiring.

The gamers presented images showing that the activation code for The Crew explicitly states it does not expire until 2099, suggesting to them "that [The Crew] would remain playable during this time and long thereafter."

Ubisoft, however, disagrees with these assertions.

"Plaintiffs allege that they purchased physical copies of The Crew under the belief that they were obtaining unfettered access to the game in perpetuity. Plaintiffs also take issue with the fact that Ubisoft did not offer to create an 'offline, single-player option of the Game, otherwise known as a 'patch' when it shut down The Crew’s servers in March 2024," Ubisoft's lawyers stated.

"The [essence] of the plaintiffs’ complaint is that Ubisoft allegedly misled purchasers of its video game The Crew into believing they were purchasing unfettered ownership rights in the game, rather than a limited license to access the game. But the reality is that consumers received the benefit of their bargain and were explicitly notified, at the time of purchase, that they were purchasing a license."

The response also noted that the Xbox and PlayStation packaging includes a "clear and conspicuous notice — in all capital letters — that Ubisoft may cancel access to one or more specific online features upon a 30-day prior notice."

Ubisoft has filed a motion to dismiss the case. If unsuccessful, the two plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial.

Digital marketplaces like Steam now display an explicit warning to customers that they are purchasing a license, not a game. This update followed a law signed by California governor Gavin Newsom, requiring digital platforms to inform customers that they are buying a license to media, not the media itself.

It's important to recognize that while this law mandates transparency, it does not prevent companies from discontinuing access to content; it simply requires them to inform customers about the nature of their purchase beforehand.