Ubisoft’s new EULA will force you to destroy your games

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Due to a recent update in Ubisoft’s End User License Agreement, as first noticed by Tech4Gamers, owning a Ubisoft game might be problematic now. It’s no surprise that Ubisoft has been facing challenges over the past year or so following disappointments like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws, and the cancellation of XDefiant. Although Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was a hit with both critics and audiences, it didn’t generate sufficient profits to stabilize the company. Now, it falls upon the player to “erase” or discard their copy of any Ubisoft game once support for that title is discontinued by Ubisoft.

Ubisoft alters its EULA agreement, forcing players to destroy their games

You might wonder, “Why should I ruin something I’ve already paid for?” However, it’s important to understand that when you buy games from many online stores these days, you’re essentially buying a right to play the game, under the terms and conditions set by the seller. Even popular platforms like Steam have made it clear that you don’t actually own your game library on their platform.

In Ubisoft’s new End User License Agreement (EULA), one point of concern is found under “Termination,” which states: “Both you and Ubisoft, or its license holders, have the right to terminate this agreement at any time, for any reason… Upon termination for any reason, it’s essential that you promptly uninstall the software and dispose of all copies of the product in your possession.” The EULA describes three instances when termination might occur: A, Ubisoft sends a notification to you; B, if your Ubisoft account is terminated; or C, Ubisoft decides to end or no longer support the product. For further details, refer to the complete EULA on Ubisoft’s official website.

As a gamer, I found myself disagreeing with some of the comments on Reddit about Ubisoft. But there was one stickied comment that caught my eye, pointing out a few crucial points from their new End User License Agreement (EULA). Here’s what stood out: “Ubisoft has the power to tweak this EULA at any time, without even notifying me, for reasons such as security, legality, or industry best practices“. It seems like they’re passing the buck on us, the players. They expect us to regularly check the EULA for updates, and if we don’t agree with changes made, our only option is to uninstall any Ubisoft games from my system or, in some cases, delete them completely.

The reception to this news isn’t positive. A top Reddit comment goes like this: “I used to feel genuinely excited when I saw the Ubisoft logo. Now, I avoid it as if it were contagious.” Another user drew a parallel with recent Microsoft layoffs, game cancellations, and studio closures, saying: “It seems like Ubisoft is trying to outdo the negative publicity that Microsoft experienced last week.” A common sentiment among users was expressed in this comment: “To save you the trouble, you can simply choose not to buy Ubisoft games.” This appears to be a widespread sentiment.

For several years now, Ubisoft has found itself embroiled in a continuous legal dispute due to their decision to terminate 2014’s The Crew game, leaving buyers without the option for offline play. As the trial progresses, there have been numerous developments, and Ubisoft has recently declared that future iterations of The Crew will incorporate an offline playing mode.

Ubisoft has started dividing its game properties, and in March, it established a subsidiary with Tencent that encompassed its main franchises: Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. As a result, several other Ubisoft games are currently uncertain for now. This latest change to the EULA means their future is more at risk than ever before. If you’re concerned about companies like this arbitrarily ending games, take a look at the Stop Killing Games movement. Their objective is to question the legality of game publishers destroying video games after customers have purchased them. The campaign has already garnered over one million signatures for its EU initiative.

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2025-07-07 22:32