Ubisoft Sued for Allegedly Deceiving Players Over The Crew Server Shutdown

A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Ubisoft in a California court, alleging that the company deceived customers by shutting down The Crew game servers earlier this year. The lawsuit, submitted on November 4, 2024, by two players, asserts that Ubisoft misled consumers into purchasing the game without informing them that the servers could be shut down, making the game unplayable. According to the filing, Ubisoft 'deceived consumers by leading them to believe they were purchasing a game, when in reality, they were only acquiring a limited license to access the game.' The lawsuit argues that this deception was exacerbated by the fact that many gamers, including the plaintiffs, bought physical copies of the game, which they reasonably believed would allow them to play the game at any time. The lawsuit claims that consumers were misled into thinking they owned the game data, either through physical discs or digital downloads, when in fact, the data was stored on a remote server that the physical and digital copies provided access to. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary relief and damages due to the server shutdown and are requesting that the court approve the filing as a class action lawsuit to include other affected consumers. Ubisoft had announced the shutdown of The Crew in December 2023, citing server infrastructure and licensing constraints, and the servers were terminated on March 31, 2024. Although the company offered refunds to recent purchasers, this did not apply to many players, including the plaintiffs, who had bought the game in 2018 and 2020. A new California state law passed in September 2024 requires digital storefronts to inform players that they do not own the games they purchase and are instead buying a license.