Ubisoft: Difference between revisions

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===L'UFC-Que Choisir (France) Lawsuit===

[[L'UFC-Que Choisir]] ('''Union Fédérale des Consommateurs''') is a French consumer rights organization with a history of action against Twitter (now [[X Corp]]) and [[Google]]. On March 31st, 2026, they filed a lawsuit in the Tribunal Court of Créteil, a major civil court in France, against Ubisoft for their termination of ''The Crew''. They claim that:

[[L'UFC-Que Choisir]] ('''Union Fédérale des Consommateurs''') is a French consumer rights organization with a history of action against Twitter<ref>{{Cite web |author=BEUC The EUropean Consumer Organization |date=2018-08-08 |title=UFC-Que Choisir gets hundreds of terms removed from Twitter's policy |url=https://www.beuc.eu/beuc-network/member-news/ufc-que-choisir-gets-hundreds-terms-removed-twitters-policy |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-09 |website=BEUC The EUropean Consumer Organization}}</ref> (now [[X Corp]]) and [[Google]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lebeau-Marianna |first=Denise |last2=Balducci |first2=Alexandre |date=23 June 2020 |title=Google LLC loses appeal against French Data Protection Authority decision before France highest administrative Court. |url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b4a20fa8-8c06-4e9e-adaf-e5ba6b621464 |access-date=9 April 2026 |website=Lexology}}</ref> On March 31st, 2026, they filed a lawsuit in the Tribunal Court of Créteil, a major civil court in France, against Ubisoft for their termination of ''The Crew''. They claim that:

<blockquote>Cette décision unilatérale [la termination de ''The Crew''] a rendu le jeu totalement inutilisable, privant les consommateurs de tout usage d’un jeu qu’ils avaient pourtant acheté, sans jamais avoir été informés d’une quelconque « date de péremption '''».'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |~~first~~=L'UFC-Que Choisir |date=31 ~~Mars~~ 2026 |title=L’UFC-Que Choisir assigne Ubisoft en justice suite à la fermeture du jeu The Crew |url=https://www.quechoisir.org/action-ufc-que-choisir-jeux-video-l-ufc-que-choisir-assigne-ubisoft-en-justice-suite-a-la-fermeture-du-jeu-the-crew-n175318/ |access-date=9 ~~Avril~~ 2026 |work=Que Choisir |pages=1}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>Cette décision unilatérale [la termination de ''The Crew''] a rendu le jeu totalement inutilisable, privant les consommateurs de tout usage d’un jeu qu’ils avaient pourtant acheté, sans jamais avoir été informés d’une quelconque « date de péremption '''».'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |author=L'UFC-Que Choisir |date=31 Mar 2026 |title=L’UFC-Que Choisir assigne Ubisoft en justice suite à la fermeture du jeu The Crew |url=https://www.quechoisir.org/action-ufc-que-choisir-jeux-video-l-ufc-que-choisir-assigne-ubisoft-en-justice-suite-a-la-fermeture-du-jeu-the-crew-n175318/ |access-date=9 Apr 2026 |work=Que Choisir |pages=1}}</ref></blockquote>

'''(translated)'''

<blockquote>This unilateral decision [to cancel ''The Crew''] rendered the game totally unusable, depriving consumers of all usage of a game which they had at one point purchased, without ever having given notice of any "date of expiration".</blockquote>The lawsuit acknowledges that users signed license agreements with publishers giving them the right to revoke game access at their discretion, but argues that such terms and conditions—allowing for the revocation of access to games after purchase—are "abusive" and "trompeuse" (abusive and deceptive) and presented in misleading fashion.<ref name=":0" /> It further argues that publishers should not have the right to: (1) deny users' '''right of ownership''' to purchased games; (2) revoke access to a game without guarantees of continued alternative means of access; (3) make any games contingent upon online services interruptible by publishers at any time; (4) prevent refund of monies credited (purchased?) by users to their Ubisoft electronic wallets.<ref name=":0" />

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L'UFC-Que Choisir notes that it was inspired to pursue its lawsuit by the [[Stop Killing Games]] movement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Trouvé |first=Pierre |date=March 31, 2026 |title=L’UFC-Que choisir poursuit en justice l’éditeur de jeux vidéo Ubisoft |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/03/31/ufc-que-choisir-poursuit-en-justice-l-editeur-de-jeux-video-ubisoft_6675623_4408996.html |access-date=April 9, 2026 |work=Le Monde |location=France |pages=1}}</ref>

=== GDPR Complaint ===

===GDPR Complaint===

On April 24 2025, noyb (a European non-profit organization for digital rights) filed a [[GDPR]] complaint to the Austrian data protection authority (DSB) against Ubisoft for forcing its customers to connect to the internet every time a single player game is launched, thereby collecting data on gaming behaviour. This collection of data is alleged to be an infringement of Article 6(1) of the GDPR.

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The EULA is effective from the earlier of the date You purchase, download or use the Product, until terminated according to its terms. You and UBISOFT (or its licensor) may terminate this EULA, at any time, for any reason. Termination by UBISOFT will be effective upon (a) notice to You or (b) termination of Your UBISOFT Account (if any) or (c) at the time of UBISOFT’s decision to discontinue offering and/or supporting the Product. This EULA will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with any of the terms and conditions of this EULA. Upon termination for any reason, You must immediately uninstall the Product and destroy all copies of the Product in Your possession.</blockquote>

~~===The Crew shutdown===~~

Ubisoft officially delisted ''The Crew'' from all digital storefronts on '''December 14, 2023''', citing [https://www.ubisoft.com/en-ca/game/the-crew/the-crew-2/news-updates/3u0la29yUBGBzYlwKp5QMZ/an-update-on-the-crew “upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints.”] They announced that the game, released in 2014 and requiring constant online connectivity even for solo play, would become unplayable after its servers shut down on '''March 31, 2024'''. Following that shutdown, Ubisoft went a step further: players who owned the game on Ubisoft Connect found that their license had been revoked. The game was moved to an “Inactive Games” library section, became impossible to redownload, and even if launched from local files, only operated in a limited “demo” mode.

===Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora update disables co-op collectibles===

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ===L'UFC-Que Choisir (France) Lawsuit===
-[[L'UFC-Que Choisir]] ('''Union Fédérale des Consommateurs''') is a French consumer rights organization with a history of action against Twitter (now [[X Corp]]) and [[Google]]. On March 31st, 2026, they filed a lawsuit in the Tribunal Court of Créteil, a major civil court in France, against Ubisoft for their termination of ''The Crew''. They claim that:
+[[L'UFC-Que Choisir]] ('''Union Fédérale des Consommateurs''') is a French consumer rights organization with a history of action against Twitter<ref>{{Cite web |author=BEUC The EUropean Consumer Organization |date=2018-08-08 |title=UFC-Que Choisir gets hundreds of terms removed from Twitter's policy |url=https://www.beuc.eu/beuc-network/member-news/ufc-que-choisir-gets-hundreds-terms-removed-twitters-policy |url-status=live |access-date=2026-04-09 |website=BEUC The EUropean Consumer Organization}}</ref> (now [[X Corp]]) and [[Google]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lebeau-Marianna |first=Denise |last2=Balducci |first2=Alexandre |date=23 June 2020 |title=Google LLC loses appeal against French Data Protection Authority decision before France highest administrative Court. |url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b4a20fa8-8c06-4e9e-adaf-e5ba6b621464 |access-date=9 April 2026 |website=Lexology}}</ref> On March 31st, 2026, they filed a lawsuit in the Tribunal Court of Créteil, a major civil court in France, against Ubisoft for their termination of ''The Crew''. They claim that:
-<blockquote>Cette décision unilatérale [la termination de ''The Crew''] a rendu le jeu totalement inutilisable, privant les consommateurs de tout usage d’un jeu qu’ils avaient pourtant acheté, sans jamais avoir été informés d’une quelconque « date de péremption '''».'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |first=L'UFC-Que Choisir |date=31 Mars 2026 |title=L’UFC-Que Choisir assigne Ubisoft en justice suite à la fermeture du jeu The Crew |url=https://www.quechoisir.org/action-ufc-que-choisir-jeux-video-l-ufc-que-choisir-assigne-ubisoft-en-justice-suite-a-la-fermeture-du-jeu-the-crew-n175318/ |access-date=9 Avril 2026 |work=Que Choisir |pages=1}}</ref></blockquote>
+<blockquote>Cette décision unilatérale [la termination de ''The Crew''] a rendu le jeu totalement inutilisable, privant les consommateurs de tout usage d’un jeu qu’ils avaient pourtant acheté, sans jamais avoir été informés d’une quelconque « date de péremption '''».'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |author=L'UFC-Que Choisir |date=31 Mar 2026 |title=L’UFC-Que Choisir assigne Ubisoft en justice suite à la fermeture du jeu The Crew |url=https://www.quechoisir.org/action-ufc-que-choisir-jeux-video-l-ufc-que-choisir-assigne-ubisoft-en-justice-suite-a-la-fermeture-du-jeu-the-crew-n175318/ |access-date=9 Apr 2026 |work=Que Choisir |pages=1}}</ref></blockquote>
 '''(translated)'''
 <blockquote>This unilateral decision [to cancel ''The Crew''] rendered the game totally unusable, depriving consumers of all usage of a game which they had at one point purchased, without ever having given notice of any "date of expiration".</blockquote>The lawsuit acknowledges that users signed license agreements with publishers giving them the right to revoke game access at their discretion, but argues that such terms and conditions—allowing for the revocation of access to games after purchase—are "abusive" and "trompeuse" (abusive and deceptive) and presented in misleading fashion.<ref name=":0" /> It further argues that publishers should not have the right to: (1) deny users' '''right of ownership''' to purchased games; (2) revoke access to a game without guarantees of continued alternative means of access; (3) make any games contingent upon online services interruptible by publishers at any time; (4) prevent refund of monies credited (purchased?) by users to their Ubisoft electronic wallets.<ref name=":0" />
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 L'UFC-Que Choisir notes that it was inspired to pursue its lawsuit by the [[Stop Killing Games]] movement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Trouvé |first=Pierre |date=March 31, 2026 |title=L’UFC-Que choisir poursuit en justice l’éditeur de jeux vidéo Ubisoft |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2026/03/31/ufc-que-choisir-poursuit-en-justice-l-editeur-de-jeux-video-ubisoft_6675623_4408996.html |access-date=April 9, 2026 |work=Le Monde |location=France |pages=1}}</ref><!-- I will search for a copy of the actual legal filing. -->
-=== GDPR Complaint ===
+===GDPR Complaint===
 On April 24 2025, noyb (a European non-profit organization for digital rights) filed a [[GDPR]] complaint to the Austrian data protection authority (DSB) against Ubisoft for forcing its customers to connect to the internet every time a single player game is launched, thereby collecting data on gaming behaviour. This collection of data is alleged to be an infringement of Article 6(1) of the GDPR.
@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 The EULA is effective from the earlier of the date You purchase, download or use the Product, until terminated according to its terms. You and UBISOFT (or its licensor) may terminate this EULA, at any time, for any reason. Termination by UBISOFT will be effective upon (a) notice to You or (b) termination of Your UBISOFT Account (if any) or (c) at the time of UBISOFT’s decision to discontinue offering and/or supporting the Product. This EULA will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with any of the terms and conditions of this EULA. Upon termination for any reason, You must immediately uninstall the Product and destroy all copies of the Product in Your possession.</blockquote>
-===The Crew shutdown===
-Ubisoft officially delisted ''The Crew'' from all digital storefronts on '''December 14, 2023''', citing [https://www.ubisoft.com/en-ca/game/the-crew/the-crew-2/news-updates/3u0la29yUBGBzYlwKp5QMZ/an-update-on-the-crew “upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints.”] They announced that the game, released in 2014 and requiring constant online connectivity even for solo play, would become unplayable after its servers shut down on '''March 31, 2024'''. Following that shutdown, Ubisoft went a step further: players who owned the game on Ubisoft Connect found that their license had been revoked. The game was moved to an “Inactive Games” library section, became impossible to redownload, and even if launched from local files, only operated in a limited “demo” mode.
 ===Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora update disables co-op collectibles===