Ubisoft faces proposed class action following its decision to stop The Crew earlier this year.

In a deposit Submitted to a California court on November 4, 2024, two players alleged that Ubisoft “deceived consumers” into purchasing The Crew without knowing that its servers could be shut down, rendering the game unplayable.

“Ubisoft misled consumers by telling them they were purchasing a game, when in reality all they were renting was a limited license to access a game,” the filing states.

“This deception was compounded by the fact that many players, like the plaintiffs, purchased physical discs storing game data, which reasonably led them to believe that they could insert this disc into their computer or gaming console. play whenever they wanted.”

The lawsuit claimed that consumers were misled into believing they owned the game data, either physically on a disc or via digitally downloaded files. Instead, the data was stored on a remote server to which physical and digital copies of the game provided access.

“Ubisoft intended consumers to rely on their representation and omissions in making purchasing decisions,” the lawsuit states. “Through their conduct, Ubisoft violated the consumer protection laws of the State of California.”

The plaintiffs requested monetary relief and damages as a result of the server shutdown, and that the court approve the filing of a class action lawsuit aimed at involving other affected consumers.

Ubisoft announced its decision to shut down The Crew in December 2023, citing server infrastructure and licensing constraints. Its servers were shut down on March 31, 2024.

As Polygon reported, the gaming company offered refunds to those who had “recently” purchased the title.

However, as the game launched in 2014, this did not apply to many players. This included the plaintiffs, who purchased physical copies of the game in 2018 and 2020, respectively.

In September 2024, a new California state law was passed to require all digital storefronts to inform gamers that they do not own the games they purchaseand purchase a license instead.