Back in 2024, Ubisoft created a commotion among The Crew fans when they delisted the online title from all the popular storefronts, including Steam, Ubisoft Connect, and many more. The company eventually announced that it would shut down its game servers post-April 1, 2024. However, things went a bit further as they reached out to several platforms and revoked the license, making it unplayable.
And now, a recent Reddit post on r/gaming suggests that Ubisoft is allegedly on the verge of doing the same with titles, such as AC2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction. It’s quite evident that the French giants have learned nothing from the setback they’ve received after the delisting of The Crew. Now, they could follow another path to cause a stir among fans yet again.
The controversy regarding The Crew
As discussed, back in 2023, Ubisoft announced that they would shut down all the active servers after April 1, 2024, for their online-only racing title, The Crew. According to the developers, the shutdown part was essential because of the infrastructure and licensing constraints on their side. Even after such a big announcement, fans didn’t make it a big issue as they thought they might be able to access the title, creating private servers on their own. But the company pulled an unexpected move by completely revoking the game from all the storefronts. Sounds a bit crazy, right?
A small chunk of players have received refunds from Ubisoft after the announcement regarding The Crew servers going offline. However, a majority of players haven’t received a single penny as they’ve purchased it way earlier.
Most Crew owners accused Ubisoft of theft as they hadn’t received any prior notification regarding this. On the face of it, this sounds pretty bad when a huge chunk of the player base accuses a reputable company like this. A similar incident happened with another high-profile game, named Alan Wake. However, thanks to Remedy as they introduced a Remastered version of it, making sure of its return in the digital storefronts.
Ubisoft hasn’t taken any such steps for The Crew, possibly making a return of the title in the storefronts. Meanwhile, its other titles, such as The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest, are going on a full swing. This surely puts a dent in the company’s reputation.
Ubisoft reportedly rolled out an unplayable update of AC2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction
Apparently, something similar reportedly happened with a few of the PC users. Some of them allegedly couldn’t access the AC2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction after Ubisoft rolled out an update. A few of them mention this issue on different social media forums.
A user named u/Modern_Maverick eventually posted a screenshot of Assassin’s Creed 2, showcasing “!! Game.Startup.AwaitingFirstOsiConnection!!“, providing no access to the title. For such reasons, the user can’t access the game after it launches on PC, even if they have paid for it. Eventually, it happened after Ubisoft rolled out an update for the title and made it allegedly unplayable on PC.
The same situation reportedly happened with another title, Splinter Cell: Conviction, where PC players couldn’t access its servers. Does that mean Ubisoft hasn’t learned anything after the massive outrage among fans because of The Crew? Well, no such confirmation has been given from the company regarding this. However, the Reddit post suggests something else.
After raising concerns on Reddit, a user suggested reporting the game via Steam. And if they can flag the game enough times, Steam has to force Ubisoft to give a statement or take some kind of action related to this issue.
Another user shared their story about how they promised not to purchase any titles from the EA and Ubisoft launchers, as they’ve removed several paid games in the past.
Amidst the stream of negative comments, a few of the users have suggested that it’s just a bug and there’s nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, the Xbox and PlayStation users have been quite silent regarding the situation as they haven’t faced this game access issue till now. Considering what the company has done in the past, it reportedly could be a matter of days.
However, this doesn’t feel right at all. For starters, there is one such example is Super Smash Bros. Even after the servers have been shut down, Pretendo Network is trying its best to keep this game alive on Nintendo Network. Can’t Ubisoft do such a thing for games like The Crew?
This certainly isn’t a big deal compared to other controversies in the market, but you’ve purchased something, and it’s been taken away highlights anti-consumer behaviour. Once you’ve purchased a digital edition of any title with your money, you might think we own it. However, after reading Ubisoft’s terms of service, you’ll realize it’s just a gimmick. You just own the license to it, and not the whole goddamn file.
If we take a look at Phillipe Tremblay’s interview with gameindustry.biz last year, this issue will surely seem more concerning. According to his interview, gamers will become “more comfortable with not owning” their favorite titles. After noticing the amount of revenue streaming services generate, the game industry might see a shift towards that model, which certainly raises major concerns among consumers.
So, what are your thoughts on this matter? Is your game working fine? Let us know in the comments.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
