Hearings on the class action lawsuit against Ubisoft over The Crew server shutdown continue, with the company's position sparking heated debates.

In response to California players' lawsuit, Ubisoft officially told the court that users do not acquire ownership rights to games, but merely obtain a limited access license. This is supported by documents: back in February 2025, the company filed a motion to dismiss the case, stating it never guaranteed "perpetual ownership" of The Crew. Moreover, some physical copies of the game contained an explicit warning about possible service termination on the packaging.

The plaintiffs disagree with this interpretation. In their amended complaint dated March 18, they added a new argument: The Crew's in-game currency, they claim, is equivalent to a gift card, and its cancellation violates California laws (where such certificates cannot have expiration dates).

Another key argument: the game box stated that the activation code was valid until 2099, which, according to players, created expectations of long-term availability. However, Ubisoft shut down the servers in 2023, rendering the project completely non-functional (The Crew was strictly online-only). Although the company offered refunds to recent purchasers, most received no compensation - some deliberately refused it to participate in the lawsuit.

This case extends beyond The Crew and touches on a fundamental question: what does "buying" a game actually mean today? Even physical copies don't guarantee perpetual access - everything depends on servers and publisher policies. On Steam, for example, this has long been stipulated in the user agreement, though not all players pay attention to it.

Legally, gamers remain vulnerable, with their only hope being digital preservation initiatives (like those by GOG or Sony with backward compatibility). The outcome of this case could set an important precedent that redefines user rights.

Ubisoft must respond to the amended allegations by April 29.

Main image: store.epicgames.com

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