Ubisoftis being called out for a clause people have discoveredin its licence agreementthat orders owners of its games to destroy them should the studio choose to end service for those games. However, not only is the clause not new, as some have implied, but Ubisoft is far from the only studio that has it in its licence agreement.
The clause in Ubisoft’s end user licence agreement - the same one any of you will have agreed to if you have legally played a Ubisoft game - that has been causing a stir is clause eight, the termination clause. “Upon termination for any reason, you must immediately uninstall the product and destroy all copies of the product in your possession,” is the specific sentence that has gamers up in arms.
Yes, that does mean what you think it means. That, should Ubisoft decide to end service for a game, not only can you no longer play it, but you must destroy any copies of the game you own. The clause has been making waves these past few daysdue to the Stop Killing Games initiative reaching one million supporters. The campaign is attempting to stop studios from making games unplayable months or years after gamers paid for them.
Ubisoft’s EULA includes a clause that orders you to destroy its games if service for them ends
That clause has been there for a while, though, and can be found across the gaming industry
Clearly, people have been going through EULAs, in this specific case Ubisoft’s, with a fine-tooth comb and picking up on clauses like this one. It’s why it has been highlighted as an addendum to the EULA, with some claiming Ubisoft added it in the wake of the Stop Killing Games campaign gaining momentum. That’s not what’s happening here.
Not only has that clause been in the Ubisoft EULA for a while, but the same sentiment can be found in EULAs you’ve agreed to before playing other games from an array of different studios.As highlighted by Amon274 on Reddit, the same clause can be found in the EULAs for various games on Steam, includingFinal Fantasy 7 Remake,Metaphor: ReFantazio, andOblivion Remastered. APhasmophobiadev alsopointed to a similar clause in multiple agreementswhen the game was called out for the exact same thing two years ago.
Even your copies ofBaldur’s Gate 3have got to go if Larian Studios ever deems it so.
All of this is further evidence that we don’t own our games, not even physical copies. Sure, no one is going to come knocking at your door to check if you still have a physical copy of The Crew and then stand there and watch you while you throw it into a bonfire, but that the clause is there is wild all the same. Also, even though dunking on Ubisoft is the ‘in’ thing to do right now, it’s far from the only studio ordering you to destroy your games whenever it decides it’s time for you to stop playing them.
