Since Ubisoft’s The Crew fiasco, people have been getting increasingly worked up about media ownership. They reckon if the companies can just take games whenever they want from me, it’s not ownership anymore. These companies are turning this into more of a license-owning. And now, this can be seen in Steam, where it is issuing a “buying a license, not the game” warning.
Also, read – Activision To Double Down On The CoD Black Ops 6 Anti-Toxicity
Steam – “Purchase of the digital product grants you a license”
Following the signing of a bill by California Governor Gavin Newsom, Steam was changed. Customers were compelled by this to understand that purchasing media only entitles them to a license on digital marketplaces.
Online retailers are forbidden by law, AB 2426, from utilizing the terms “buy, purchase, or any other term which a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good or alongside an option for a time-limited rental.” Businesses which break the rules risk being fined for deceptive advertising.
Following several high-profile incidents where players had their video games erased after a server shutdown, the rule was passed. When the servers for The Crew went down, Ubisoft removed the game from player libraries, which incited a backlash. This implied that the open-world racer was no longer playable even by those who paid the full fee.
Customers are informed by Steam that they are merely purchasing a license to play the game, with the possibility that this license could be withdrawn at a later time, when they are in the shopping cart stage. The word “Warning” appears directly beneath the “Continue to payment” button. Steam seems to have taken the initiative and added its warning in numerous regions across the world, including the UK, even though the law that prompted the change was enacted in California.
