Ubisoft sued for shutting down The Crew servers: A legal battle ensues

A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Ubisoft by two players in California, who claim that the company violated consumer protection laws by shutting down the servers for their popular online racing game, The Crew, leaving players unable to access the game's content.

Successful initial release in 2014
Subsequent titles in the franchise have addressed community criticisms
Raises important questions about consumer rights in online gaming

The Crew, a popular online racing game, was initially released in September 2014 for PS4, XBOX One, and PC. It was considered a success at the time, but earlier this year, Ubisoft made the decision to shut down the game’s active servers. This move left players unable to access the game’s content, and now the publisher is facing a lawsuit from two players in California.

According to VCG, the two players claim to have been negatively affected by the server shutdown and are seeking to file a class-action lawsuit against Ubisoft for violating consumer protection laws in the region. They accuse the publisher of abruptly cutting off players’ access to something they had purchased and should have continued access to. The lawsuit argues that Ubisoft deceived consumers by leading them to believe they were buying the game itself, when in reality they were only purchasing a license to access the servers.

Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that Ubisoft falsely indicated that the game files were included in the purchased content, when in fact they were merely a key to access the files on the company’s servers. The two players bought the game in 2018 and 2020, believing they would have ongoing access to it. The lawsuit also highlights Ubisoft’s deliberate omission of an “offline” mode, which would have allowed players to enjoy the game even after the servers were shut down. Other games on the market have managed to provide offline modes, despite being primarily known for their online features.

Interestingly, Ubisoft has released subsequent titles in The Crew franchise, such as The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest, which do include an offline mode to address these community criticisms. However, no such options were provided for the original game.

As of now, Ubisoft has not commented on the case. It remains to be seen how this lawsuit will unfold and what implications it may have for the future of online gaming and consumer rights.

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Background Information

About Ubisoft:

Ubisoft is a important video game company that was founded in 1986 in France by the Guillemot brothers: Christian, Claude, Gérard, Michel, and Yves. The company is known for developing and publishing a wide range of popular video game franchises, including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, and Watch Dogs. Ubisoft is recognized for its commitment to delivering immersive and engaging gaming experiences across multiple platforms, from consoles and PCs to mobile devices.