Ubisoft: Difference between revisions

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Polygon reported on November 11, 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=11 Nov 2024 |title=Ubisoft sued for shutting down The Crew |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/476979/ubisoft-the-crew-shut-down-lawsuit-class-action |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111185514/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/476979/ubisoft-the-crew-shut-down-lawsuit-class-action/ |archive-date=11 Nov 2024 |access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Polygon}}</ref> about two owners of the crew filing a class action lawsuit against Ubisoft on November 04, 2024 alleging violations of unfair competition, false advertising, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of implied warranty, according to California Law.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 Apr 2024 |title=Crew Lawsuit Via Polygon |url=https://it.scribd.com/document/790913960/Crew-Lawsuit-via-Polygon |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Scribd |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708204412/https://it.scribd.com/document/790913960/Crew-Lawsuit-via-Polygon |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref><blockquote>"Imagine you buy a pinball machine, and years later, you enter your den to go play it, only to discover that all the paddles are missing, the pinball and bumpers are gone, and the monitor that proudly displayed your unassailable high score is removed."</blockquote>Ubisoft responded to this lawsuit with a motion to dismiss on February 05, 2025, also reported by Polygon,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=9 Apr 2025 |title=Ubisoft holds firm in The Crew lawsuit: You don’t own your video games |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/555469/ubisoft-holds-firm-in-the-crew-lawsuit-you-dont-own-your-video-games |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216043820/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/555469/ubisoft-holds-firm-in-the-crew-lawsuit-you-dont-own-your-video-games/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026|access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Polygon}}</ref> arguing that plaintiffs don’t have a case reiterating that fact that you don't own the video game you bought:<blockquote>"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."<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Feb 2025 |title=The Crew lawsuit, Ubisoft response -- via Polygon |url=https://it.scribd.com/document/848030901/The-Crew-lawsuit-Ubisoft-response-via-Polygon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112000401/https://www.scribd.com/document/790913960/Crew-Lawsuit-via-Polygon |archive-date=12 Nov 2024 |access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Scribd}}</ref></blockquote>On March 18, 2025 plaintiffs amended the complaint with pictures of the physical copy arguing that the in-box Activation Code for The Crew had an expiration date of 2099. Additionally, the game’s in-game currency could be considered a form of gift certificate. In California, a gift certificate is not allowed to expire.

===GDPR Complaint===

===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:

<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>

'''(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" />

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 ===

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 40: / Line 40: @@
 Polygon reported on November 11, 2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=11 Nov 2024 |title=Ubisoft sued for shutting down The Crew |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/476979/ubisoft-the-crew-shut-down-lawsuit-class-action |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111185514/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/476979/ubisoft-the-crew-shut-down-lawsuit-class-action/ |archive-date=11 Nov 2024 |access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Polygon}}</ref> about two owners of the crew filing a class action lawsuit against Ubisoft  on November 04, 2024 alleging violations of unfair competition, false advertising, fraudulent misrepresentation and breach of implied warranty, according to California Law.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 Apr 2024 |title=Crew Lawsuit Via Polygon |url=https://it.scribd.com/document/790913960/Crew-Lawsuit-via-Polygon |url-status=live |access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Scribd |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708204412/https://it.scribd.com/document/790913960/Crew-Lawsuit-via-Polygon |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref><blockquote>"Imagine you buy a pinball machine, and years later, you enter your den to go play it, only to discover that all the paddles are missing, the pinball and bumpers are gone, and the monitor that proudly displayed your unassailable high score is removed."</blockquote>Ubisoft responded to this lawsuit with a motion to dismiss on February 05, 2025, also reported by Polygon,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=9 Apr 2025 |title=Ubisoft holds firm in The Crew lawsuit: You don’t own your video games |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/555469/ubisoft-holds-firm-in-the-crew-lawsuit-you-dont-own-your-video-games |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260216043820/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/555469/ubisoft-holds-firm-in-the-crew-lawsuit-you-dont-own-your-video-games/ |archive-date=16 Feb 2026|access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Polygon}}</ref> arguing that plaintiffs don’t have a case reiterating that fact that you don't own the video game you bought:<blockquote>"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."<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Feb 2025 |title=The Crew lawsuit, Ubisoft response -- via Polygon |url=https://it.scribd.com/document/848030901/The-Crew-lawsuit-Ubisoft-response-via-Polygon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241112000401/https://www.scribd.com/document/790913960/Crew-Lawsuit-via-Polygon |archive-date=12 Nov 2024 |access-date=12 Apr 2025 |website=Scribd}}</ref></blockquote>On March 18, 2025 plaintiffs  amended the complaint with pictures of the physical copy arguing that the in-box Activation Code for The Crew had an expiration date of 2099. Additionally, the game’s in-game currency could be considered a form of gift certificate. In California, a gift certificate is not allowed to expire.<!-- could not find copy of court document, only the polygon report -->
-===GDPR Complaint===
+===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:
+<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>
+'''(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" />
+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 ===
 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.