A French consumer group has filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft over its handling of The Crew, regarding the full shutdown of the racing game. Ubisoft stands as one of the biggest AAA game studios in the industry, boasting a plethora of beloved franchises within its library, from action games to shooters and much more. Ubisoft has created series like Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, and Just Dance, with multiple subsidiary game studios located around the world. However, the developer’s shutdown of The Crew in 2024 elicited significant controversy from fans of the game.
The Crew first debuted in late 2014 as a brand-new online-focused racing game from the studio. The racing game received two full DLC packs following its release, adding a multitude of new vehicles, new game modes, and even overhauling its graphics in one expansion. Ubisoft confirmed in late 2023 that it was delisting The Crew, fully shutting down the servers for the online racing game in March 2024. The move brought plenty of controversy from fans, even leading to the launch of the Stop Killing Games initiative, with The Crew being completely unavailable to play after its shutdown. Now, a French consumer group is taking Ubisoft to court.
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A French Group is Suing Ubisoft Over The Crew Shutdown
French organization UFC-Que Choisir confirmed on Tuesday, March 31, that it is suing Ubisoft over the shutdown of The Crew. The lawsuit claims that Ubisoft had misinformed players about their purchase of The Crew, stating it was only a “limited access” purchase until the studio decided to shut down the game. The group also alleges that the purchase of the game was part of an “abusive contract” with buyers, feeling that Ubisoft’s revocation access to The Crew for paying players could set a bad precedent. Ubisoft has not issued an official statement about the UFC-Que Choisir lawsuit.
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The Ubisoft lawsuit has already seen big support from the previously mentioned Stop Killing Games initiative. The movement was among the biggest stories in the game industry throughout the past two years, rallying against the poor preservation efforts of game studios. The lack of any refunds for The Crew after shutting down the game was also a major sticking point for UFC-Que Choisir and Stop Killing Games, with players no longer able to access a game and potentially DLC expansions they had bought. Stop Killing Games has even gone to the EU Parliament over the issue, suggesting that the organization is behind the movement.
While The Crew is no longer officially available from Ubisoft, fans have made efforts to keep the game’s legacy alive. A mod for The Crew, titled The Crew Unlimited, brings the title back with fan-run servers, utilizing a customized server emulator in order to keep the game running for both online and offline gameplay. The fix is notably not perfect, however, with fans already needing to have The Crew downloaded onto their PC in order to access the modded servers. The mod’s developer also confirmed that the Crew servers did not require a legitimate copy of the game in order to play.
Game preservation has become a more important issue than ever in the modern gaming industry, given the popularity of online games. The shutdown of online-only titles means that games like Highguard become permanently unavailable after their servers are closed, with players potentially losing significant value invested in the game. Online store shutdowns have also led many games to become completely unavailable after consoles like the 3DS and Wii stores go offline, creating an artificial scarcity for many less popular games. Fans continue to push for companies to put more effort into games preservation, as more and more games become unavailable forever.
Source: Reuters
