Ubisoft Sued Over Shutdown of The Crew Game

Two gamers from California are suing Ubisoft over the company’s plans to shut down its open-world racing game The Crew in March. The class action complaint is from Matthew Cassell, who bought the game at a GameStop in early 2020; and Alan Liu, who purchased it in November 2018.

Ubisoft Sued by Gamers Over Shutdown of The Crew Game and Misleading Ownership

The plaintiffs argue that they were led to believe they were purchasing the game outright, rather than obtaining a limited license to use it. This “license over product” argument will likely form the core of Ubisoft’s defense.

It also speaks to the annoyance of finding out that what was believed to be a permanent purchase is, effectively, a temporary license. One comparison in the lawsuit states, “Imagine buying a pinball machine, only to find years later that the paddles, bumpers, and monitor are all gone, leaving you with nothing but the shell.” The plaintiffs allege that although they paid full price, the agreement meant that the manufacturer could revoke their access to the game at any moment.

Since The Crew was shut down, it is no longer playable in any form—whether physical or digital—and Ubisoft has not taken steps to make it available offline, unlike with its sequels The Crew 2 and The Crew: Motorfest. Affected by the shutdown, they are pursuing monetary damages through a lawsuit although its chances of success at this point remain unclear. The company in this instance, Ubisoft, has not commented on the case.

Due to similar issues, Steam and other platforms are now putting purchase warnings stating that buyers have only purchased a license to the media, not the media itself. Kylie Morrow, a Shopify spokesperson, said in an email that the announcement comes as part of a new California law which sets will go into effect in 2025 to require digital marketplaces to disclose such terms to consumers. The law will not prevent the removal of content, only from pretending it is something else.

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