Ubisoft recently found itself in hot water regarding the ongoing lawsuit related to The Crew’s shutdown. The company has taken a firm stance, suggesting that players purchasing video games should not assume they own them forever, especially regarding online-only titles.
This controversy sparked after Ubisoft decided to retire The Crew, which was quietly delisted from digital platforms in December 2023. The publisher announced that the game would no longer be playable starting in April 2024, citing server infrastructure and licensing issues as reasons for this decision.
“After almost a decade of support, we will be decommissioning The Crew 1 on March 31, 2024,” Ubisoft stated at the time. “We understand this may be disappointing for players still enjoying the game, but it is necessary due to upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints.”
This prompted two affected players to file a lawsuit against Ubisoft, alleging California consumer protection laws violations. They argued that Ubisoft misrepresented their product by indicating buyers were purchasing a game when receiving just a limited license to access it. According to the plaintiffs, “the physical disks and downloaded files consumers paid for were more akin to a key they could use to open the gates of this remote server.”
Now, as Polygon highlights, Ubisoft is trying to get this lawsuit dismissed. Their argument rests on the premise that players shouldn’t have expected permanent ownership rights over an online-only game—regardless of whether they purchased a physical copy.
“Frustrated with Ubisoft’s recent decision to retire the game following a notice period delineated on the product’s packaging,” noted Ubisoft’s lawyers, highlighting that plaintiffs are claiming multiple legal grievances, including California’s False Advertising Law and common law fraud, among others.
The amended complaint also mentions that activation codes for The Crew had an expiry date well into 2099, implying long-term availability that contrasts with its imminent shutdown. Also, there are claims about gift cards used within The Crew’s economy—allegations suggesting these should not expire under California law.
In response to community feedback last September regarding concerns over access loss for their games, Ubisoft announced plans for offline modes in both The Crew 2 and The Crew: Motorfest. Stéphane Beley, senior creative director at Ivory Tower, shared: “We want to acknowledge that some of you voiced concern about access to The Crew games… We are currently exploring different solutions and can confirm an offline mode…“
