French Consumer Group Sues Ubisoft Over The Crew Shutdown With Stop Killing Games Support
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir is suing Ubisoft over the shutdown of The Crew, backed by the Stop Killing Games movement in a landmark push for digital game ownership rights.
The ongoing fight for digital game preservation has officially entered a major courtroom. According to Rock Paper Shotgun, French consumer advocacy organization UFC-Que Choisir is taking Ubisoft to court over the March 2024 server shutdown of The Crew, which rendered the open world racer entirely unplayable. The group is moving forward with the backing of the Stop Killing Games movement, arguing that stripping players of access to a purchased product violates basic consumer rights. They are challenging the validity of software licenses that allow publishers to revoke access at will without offering refunds or offline alternatives.
This legal action marks a massive escalation for Stop Killing Games, which was launched by YouTuber Ross Scott shortly after The Crew went offline. The movement has quickly evolved from an online advocacy campaign into a global political force. Their European Commission petition successfully gathered roughly 1.5 million signatures and even secured an endorsement from the EU Parliament vice president. With a public hearing scheduled at the European Parliament on April 16th, the stakes are higher than ever for digital ownership norms across the industry.
Unsurprisingly, major trade groups like Video Games Europe have pushed back, claiming that strict preservation mandates would make online games prohibitively expensive to produce. Meanwhile, players continue to take matters into their own hands, with community modders launching dedicated server revival projects to keep the game alive. As digital purchases and live service models dominate modern gaming, this lawsuit could establish a vital legal precedent for how publishers handle the inevitable end of life for always online titles.
Tags: Ubisoft, Stop Killing Games, The Crew, Game Preservation, Industry News
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun