Ubisoft faces lawsuit for allegedly misleading players by shutting down The Crew
Filing claims games firm "duped customers" into purchasing title without knowledge servers could be turned off
Ubisoft is facing a proposed class action lawsuit over its decision to shut down The Crew earlier this year.
In a filing submitted to a California Court on November 4, 2024, two players have alleged that Ubisoft "duped consumers" into purchasing The Crew without the knowledge that its servers could be shut down making the game unplayable.
"Ubisoft misled consumers by telling them they were buying a game, when in fact, all they were renting was a limited license to access a game," the filing read.
"This deception was compounded by the fact that many gamers, like the Plaintiffs, bought physical discs storing the game data, which reasonably made them believe that they could input that disc into their computer or game console whenever they wanted."
The lawsuit claimed consumers were misled into believing they owned the game data either physically on a disc or via digitally downloaded files. Instead, the data was stored on a remote server that the physical and digital copies of the game provided access to.
"Ubisoft intended consumers to rely on their representation and omissions in making their purchasing decisions," the lawsuit read. "Through their conduct, Ubisoft have violated California state consumer protection laws."
The Plaintiffs have requested monetary relief and damages as a result of the server shutdown, and for the court to approve the filing as a class action lawsuit to involve other affected consumers.
Ubisoft announced its decision to shut down The Crew in December 2023, citing server infrastructure and licensing constraints. Its servers were shut down on March 31, 2024.
As Polygon reported, the games firm offered refunds for those who had "recently" purchased the title.
However, as the game launched in 2014, this wasn't applicable to many players. This included the Plaintiffs, who purchased physical copies of the game in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
In September 2024, a new California state law was passed to compel all digital storefronts to inform players they don't own the games they purchase, and are instead buying a license.