Earlier this month, game industry giant Ubisoft has announced that it will decommission the online services/servers of several old games. This includes a few titles from their famous franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell, but this new information likely won't sit well with a handful of folks. If it doesn't, it's really not much of a surprise.
Gaming fans play Ubisoft games at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3, opening in Los Angeles, California on June 11, 2019. - Gaming fans and developers gather, connecting thousands of the brightest, best and most innovative in the interactive entertainment industry and a chance for many to preview new games.
PCGamer reports that two more games: Assassin's Creed Liberation HD and Silent Hunter 5 will likely be rendered unplayable by the decision. This was indicated by a few screencaps of the two games' store pages. On Silent Hunter 5's Steam page, there's a clear notice that the game will no longer be accessible after September 1st.
The same thing goes for Assassin's Creed Liberation HD, which is the full fat console and PC release of the former PS Vita exclusive. Aside from no longer being available for purchase, the two games have the same warning: they'll be unplayable beyond September 1st.
These two games join Space Junkies, a VR game Ubisoft released ijn 2019 to middling reception. What this means now is that even if you spent actual money to buy these three games, you won't be able to play them soon. Which sucks a bit, because of very, very obvious reasons.
It's worth noting that in the original announcement, Ubisoft mentioned that it is only shutting down the ability to access and install the two games' DLCs. Players will also be unable to link their Ubisoft accounts in-game after the fact. Now, the studio has done an about face and is completely cutting off people from playing the games they're supposed to own.
As of this writing, Ubi hasn't commented on the issue or clarified anything about it. But pretty soon, they'll probably have to. That's because this could lead to an outcry that will once again put all-digital game and content ownership in the spotlight. If you don't even "own" the digital content you paid real money for, then what's the point of buying them in the first place?
Either way, Ubi's shutdown of the online services for 15 old games seems to be still on track without any hint of cancelation or postponement.
Read Also: The Top Things Gamers DON'T WANT In Witcher 4
Why Is This Even A Thing?
It's not entirely clear why companies are locking people away from digital content they bought, but the shutdown of these three Ubisoft games is far from the only case. And it's not just video games, but general digital content like movies and TV series purchased from online storefronts.
As reported by TechLinked in a recent video, Sony has also announced that all movies purchased via the PlayStation Store in Germany and Austria can no longer be accessed. That's almost 450 individual movies and TV series episode that Austrian and German users won't be able to watch anymore, even if they paid for it.
As per Sony themselves, "evolving licensing agreements with content providers" are the main reason for this. Either way, telling people that they can "buy" content when they technically don't own the thing they spent the money on was the grounds of a lawsuit last year filed against another company: Apple (via MovieWeb).
It's a harsh reality of an all-digital world these days.
Related Article: Ubisoft Wants To Teach Climate Change Using its Own Video Games
This article is posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
