Games

I gotta thank Ubisoft for saving me money by consistently saying dumbass shit so I don't buy their crappy games. The one Elon tweet was still pretty funny though I won't lie.

If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing.

This is why I will always have some nostalgia for physical media. I still got CDs I bought in the 90s (which I've copied onto my hard drives a long, long time ago) and while they need a like coaxing to work at times, they are forever mine and no one can take them from me.

I was very hesitant to go on steam specifically for their 'you don't own shit even if you paid and followed the rules' garbage.

I think there is an implication that if you buy a game which is online by nature (e.g. an MMO) that the servers can and will shut down eventually. My cupboard is filled with defunct MMOs. And people do not "own" any commercial software per se, they run it under licence.

So I don't see that Ubisoft has any legal obligation here. But as a good will gesture they really should put the server code in escrow, or open source chunks of it so that games can continue to enjoy life after the company itself has no economic incentive to continue running it.

https://www.stopkillinggames.com/

And people will still defend this company

If they don’t sell the game but a long term rental license, then they should not say “we’ve sold 1234557890 copies of ”.

The way of the future....VCRs went away. DVDRs went away, replaced with DVRs and membership streaming, where you can "buy" a movie on Amazon Prime, but if they lose the rights to the movie, so do you - oh well. Your Tesla will brick, if Elon gets mad at you, and your video games will stop working if "the man" unplugs the server. Oh, and dont get caught pulling out your old dusty VCR to record the Super Bowl to watch later....thats a copyright violation. The oligarchs want to make sure the plebes eventually own nothing. If the masters can take it all away, the peasants will do what they're told, be quiet about it, and smile when in sight of the masters.

Technically they're right, which is why pirating Ubisoft games is ethical.

Edit: Pirating Nintendo games is ethical too, of course.

If you never actually own a Ubisoft game that logically pirating them isn't theft right? Right?

Some call it piracy when you download games, movies, music, software or books. I call it an online public library. In 2003 I used to get video games from the public library, install them on my PC and play them. You had to have the disk in your CD drive to play the game so when the game was due back at the library you could return or renew it. If game makers don't provide hard copies then downloading is no different than using the library.

Let's see if the physical disc once said anything about needing an online connection for single play. Oh look, it did not, the subscription required was only for 2-8 players network play.

Let's compare with Destiny 2's back cover, a game that is a MMO and thus "cannot be owned" by the players. Hey, a "Online Play (Required)*" sticker that is not present on The Crew! The fine print has a bit that states that "Activision makes no guarantee of regarding availability of online play or features, and may modify or discontinue online services at its discretion without notice."

FF14 also had a "Online Play (Required)*" sticker on its back cover. It clearly states on the rectangular bit above the T Rating: "Users are granted only a limited, revocable license and do not own any intellectual property in the game or game data"

You deceived consumers, Ubisoft. "Online Play Required" is not there, so the game should remain playable offline.

If you have to buy it, you own it. Make it free to play but have in game purchases. Everyone knows free games can shut down any time. I play lot of mobile apps until I get tired of playing it, then delete.

I avoid buying games that requires online connection. It means the game is unplayable without it.

It's sickening what companies can get away with just because it's legal. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Ubisoft cannot complain if I pirate their games, because they never actually sold them. And I'm not deceiving them with my intention of never, ever, give them a dime.

Ubisoft cannot complain when gamers "pirate" their games then.

If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't theft and all that.

Ubisoft deserves to go bankrupt, get dissolved, and have their IP’s sold to people aren’t malicious.

Deny. Defend. Depose.

“You will own nothing and like it”

If buying isn’t owning then sharing isn’t stealing…

By principle I avoid “online required” games.

Ubisoft you can't complain if I pirate your games, because I never actually bought them and you weren't deceived by a lack of purchase.

When does Ubisoft realize that "you never owned it" and "you can't complain" are arguments for not buying their next game?

Looks like I'll be pirating Black Flag for my next replay.

Definitely deceived into thinking you are purchasing a game though.

Tell you what customers absolutely can do: decide to stop doing business with you.

🏴‍☠️

Although ubisoft is a shit company, don't think it's the only one. Every game you bought on Steam, Origin and Epic aren't your property either. You just bought the right to play their game for as long as they allow you to.

If you truly want to own your products, buy on GoG (you will get the offline installer as a download) or pirate. Because when you pirate, you have more rights and benifits than a paying customer.

Companies don't even care anymore, it's just a money grab with the newest bug simulator. As soon as the first purchase bubble ended, the project is abandoned and people are stuck with a piece of junk they do not even own.

In the exceptional case a dev truly delivers, like indie studios or Larian studio, the game dev world goes mental as it shows how corrupt and fucked up they are.

Support the few proper devs, pirate the rest. I pirate everything these days and when the game is good I'll buy it.

Don't like this? Sign the EU petition Stop Killing Games.

i say ubisoft can eat shit

have not purchased anything from them in over a decade

The use of the words 'buy', "own" or 'purchase' in connection with DRM rental should be an international felony, and grounds for immediate break-up of businesses that use them.