Ownership of the games we buy online is a frequent topic of discussionand Ubisoft has jumped into this debate with a post that undoubtedly vindicates those who are most critical of this sales model, which has almost completely erased the traditional physical distribution model of the same. And so it is that now, in addition to having to accept the same EULAs as before, or worse, with each title, we also encounter the peculiarities of each digital store. Features that, unfortunately for users, make their ownership of purchased games even more uncertain.

The most common issue that comes up in these conversations is the problem that occurs in the digital store where we bought the game, must be closed. What happens in that case? Will the user lose access to the game despite having purchased it? We recently saw the case of Stadia whichhas wrapped all purchases, but there is no guarantee that other stores will adopt the same method in the event of a closure. And that with the price of the games can lead to very bloody situations.

Closing stores is now a very extreme situation, not impossible, but reasonably remote, especially if we are talking about the most established ones. Another, very different, is to consider what happens if a digital store chooses to include in its terms of use accounts can be deleted based on your own criteria and any conditions. Unfortunately, this is much more likely and is undoubtedly a major obstacle for users as well as a warning sign, red flag as they say these days, for users who are thinking of buying in them.

We have the last sample there Ubisoft, which has started sending emails warning users to close their accounts if they are not logged in. A termination that would be permanent and would of course result in the loss of all their content, including games that user may have previously acquired. In response to the numerous complaints that have surfaced, Ubisoft states that yes, from receiving said message, the user has 30 days to log in, which will stop the cancellation process.

Some users claim, in an attempt to justify this action by Ubisoft, that the company is doing it in response to Europe’s GDPR, but even if that were the case, It is surprising that there was no prior communication in this regard.that there weren’t much longer deadlines… in short, that the measure goes a little less, if only a little, against its own users, and especially those who have purchased games on its platform.

A few weeks ago, Ubisoft Forward 2023 took place with some very interesting announcements, such as the long-awaited Star Wars Outlaws or the future plans of one of its star franchises, Assassin’s Creed. However, given the prospect that the company could close the account at any time and reduce the deadlines to the minimum, It is very clear to me that buying from your digital store is a bad idea.