Ubisoft is being sued over The Crew in a lawsuit that compares the server shutdown to a bumperless pinball machine

The servers were taken offline in March, rendering the online-only game unplayable

Image credit: Ubisoft

“Imagine you buy a pinball machine, and years later, you enter your den to go play it, only to discover that all the paddles are missing, the pinball and bumpers are gone, and the monitor that proudly displayed your unassailable high score is removed”. As reported by Polygon, that’s an argument put forth by a new lawsuit against Ubisoft, filed by two Californian players of The Crew. They’re suing the company in a proposed class action lawsuit over shutting down the racing game’s servers, rendering it unplayable.

Ubisoft pulled the ol’ snippy Johnson on The Crew’s server wires back in March, effectively killing the online-only game. The following month, it started disappearing from owner’s Ubisoft Connect libraries. In response, YouTuber Ross Scott started a Stop Killing Games initiative, petitioning France’s Directorate General For Competition, Consumer Affairs And Fraud Protection (DGCCRF) to investigate.

Ubisoft – perhaps rightly terrified of a protracted skirmish with a man who owns two first names – confirmed an offline mode in September for sequels The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest. The Crew itself, however, remains unplayable. As Polygon note, Ubisoft did offer full refunds to those who had “recently” bought The Crew when they first announced the server shutdown, but since the game came out in 2011, this excluded many.

The Crew – E3 2013 – Announcement Trailer [UK]

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The lawsuit itself takes the above pinball allusion and runs with it, saying this chillingly paddle-deprived thought experiment is “exactly” what happened with the game’s server shutdowns. Both plaintiffs own physical copies, which the lawsuit says they wouldn’t have bought “on the same terms” (price) knowing the servers could be shuttered, rendering the game unplayable. The lawsuit also cites, among others, several of Ubisoft’s titles that have shut down servers but patched in an offline mode, including Assassin’s Creed 2 and 3. The plaintiffs are seeking “monetary relief and damages for those impacted by the server shutdown”.

In October, Graham wrote about an update to Steam that warns customers at checkout that they’re only buying a digital license to a game. The change, implemented internationally, was in response to new California legislation designed to more clearly inform players that a digital purchase doesn’t necessarily equate to permanent ownership. GOG, who are themselves exempt from the legislation because of their DRM-free offerings, couldn’t resist a cheeky pop.