this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025

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Ubisoft tells players to “destroy” games when online support ends (www.dexerto.com)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

33 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Ubisoft has updated its End User License Agreement, and it’s instructing its users to remove and destroy their games completely should the title be taken offline.

Essentially, the EULA has given Ubisoft free rein on its ability to stop supporting a game, writing: “You and Ubisoft may terminate this EULA at any time, for any reason. Termination by Ubisoft will be effective upon notice to you or termination of your Ubisoft account, or at the time of Ubisoft’s decision to discontinue offering and/or supporting the Product.”

Interestingly, this isn’t the only company that has the same terms in its EULA. The likes of Capcom, Sega, and even the Oblivion Remaster have the same clause in their terms and conditions, meaning the stipulation isn’t unique to Ubisoft.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Where does this say you keep your games? Steam can revoke access to your account, and if they do, you lose your games and receive no refunds.

STEAM SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT

You become a subscriber of Steam ("Subscriber") by completing the registration of a Steam user account.

TERM AND TERMINATION

A. Term

The term of this Agreement (the "Term") commences on the date you first indicate your acceptance of these terms, and will continue in effect until otherwise terminated in accordance with this Agreement.

B. Termination by You

You may cancel your Account at any time. You may cease use of a Subscription at any time or, if you choose, you may request that Valve terminate your access to a Subscription. However, Subscriptions are not transferable, and even if your access to a Subscription for a particular game or application is terminated, the original activation key will not be able to be registered to any other account, even if the Subscription was obtained in a retail store. Access to Subscriptions ordered as a part of a pack or bundle cannot be terminated individually, termination of access to one game within the bundle will result in termination of access to all games ordered in the pack. Your cancellation of an Account, or your cessation of use of any Subscription or request that access to a Subscription be terminated, will not entitle you to any refund, including of any Subscription fees. Valve reserves the right to collect fees, surcharges or costs incurred prior to the cancellation of your Account or termination of your access to a particular Subscription. In addition, you are responsible for any charges incurred to third-party vendors or content providers before your cancellation.

C. Termination by Valve

Valve may restrict or cancel your Account or any particular Subscription(s) at any time in the event that (a) Valve ceases providing such Subscriptions to similarly situated Subscribers generally, or (b) you breach any terms of this Agreement (including any Subscription Terms or Rules of Use). In the event that your Account or a particular Subscription is restricted or terminated or cancelled by Valve for a violation of this Agreement or improper or illegal activity, no refund, including of any Subscription fees or of any unused funds in your Steam Wallet, will be granted.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Every time Valve has brought it up before, it's been in interviews where they have mentioned they have contingency plans to make your library available somehow if they ever have to close up shop. Though, originally Steam had a way of creating physical backups in the program itself. If it still does, it's been moved somewhere in the UI I don't know about. But you may not need it anyway, because back then games were stored in their own proprietary containers (GFC files). These days, it's the same structure as any other installation and you can often just copy that to something and not even need cracks for it to run.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I get that they say this in interviews, but that is not what their user agreement says. They can remove games from your library and revoke access to your account. To my knowledge, they've never abused this power but it's still in their agreement. My point is nearly every company has agreements like Ubisoft has. There's no reason to single out theirs.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

What's attempted to be singled out isn't the "we can terminate your access at any time." They are claiming that Ubisoft's suggests you need to destroy the copies you already have if they stop supporting it.

Though it doesn't even look like that is actually the case looking at the very clause the article is quoting. It's the standard "we can revoke your ability to download this thing at any time" shit. Where the fuck does it suggest users have to destroy their copies?

Fucking modern "journalism..." 😑

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

But it is in Larian's EULA

Upon termination all licenses granted to you in this Pact shall immediately terminate and you must immediately and permanently remove the Game from your device and destroy all copies of the Game in your possession.

And in Phasmophobia's EULA

10.2.3 you must immediately delete or remove the Game from all computer equipment in your possession and immediately destroy or return to us (at our option) all copies of the Game then in your possession, custody or control and, in the case of destruction, certify to us that you have done so.

So why Ubisoft? It's common in lots of games. Do people want to change EULAs in general or just want to hate on Ubisoft for doing something that's common?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Ubisoft is generally shit all around so maybe it's just bias. Or maybe they do have such a clause in something, they just didn't quote the actual relevant bits in this article.

It's pretty common to say "hey we can turn this off at any time and you will not be entitled to a refund and won't be able to access anything via our online services" but this "hey if we decide to shut down the online services, you need to delete everything related to it you have on your device too" is new. And even more consumer hostile.

If Larian goes belly up, they can suck my left nut if they think I am gonna delete BG3 off my hard-drive.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's in Ubisoft's EULA as well

Upon termination for any reason, You must immediately uninstall the Product and destroy all copies of the Product in Your possession.

Even though this clause seems to be in most EULA I've never heard of it actually being enforced. I'm guessing it's to prevent some kind of loophole where you can agree to an EULA, install a game, and then terminate your agreement in order to use the game without needing to follow any rules. If you can terminate the agreement at any time without needing to delete the game, then why not always do that?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

You probably could. Buy game, download game, make backup of game, refund game, maybe crack the game you now have backed up, play game basically for free. But it's just piracy with extra steps. And if you do it enough, they probably will ban your account from even making purchases.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You lose the license to use steam services to continue to download them. They still say if Steam goes under the games you own are still yours.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

B. Hardware, Subscriptions; Content and Services

As a Subscriber you may obtain access to certain services, software and content available to Subscribers or purchase certain Hardware (as defined below) on Steam. The Steam client software and any other software, content, and updates you download or access via Steam, including but not limited to Valve or third-party video games and in-game content, software associated with Hardware and any virtual items you trade, sell or purchase in a Steam Subscription Marketplace are referred to in this Agreement as "Content and Services;" the rights to access and/or use any Content and Services accessible through Steam are referred to in this Agreement as "Subscriptions."

Where does it say you own your games?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Where does it say Steam content or services are the games themselves?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

It's in the quoted text: "Including third-party games". I'll bold it.

B. Hardware, Subscriptions; Content and Services

As a Subscriber you may obtain access to certain services, software and content available to Subscribers or purchase certain Hardware (as defined below) on Steam. The Steam client software and any other software, content, and updates you download or access via Steam, including but not limited to Valve or third-party video games and in-game content, software associated with Hardware and any virtual items you trade, sell or purchase in a Steam Subscription Marketplace are referred to in this Agreement as "Content and Services;" the rights to access and/or use any Content and Services accessible through Steam are referred to in this Agreement as "Subscriptions."