Apparently they „clarified“ now that only empty accounts, without any games, can be deleted

In GOG I still have the "classic" version of Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics, I bought them at least 10 years ago now they are no longer sold, more "modern" versions are the ones available I guess, but I can still download my classic versions without problems, and they still work on XP and on Win7 which was what I used at that time, GOG complies with its clients, not like others.
I'm not trying to advertise or anything like that. Everyone is free to decide where they put their money.
Square Enix did not close my account but although they appear in my collection I can no longer download the classic versions of Final Fantasy VII and VIII, so it is useless. The same as if my account had been closed, if I can no longer access my games.

I've already had my "uPlay Account" deleted years ago for "inactivity" despite the fact I registered Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 to beable to play it online. (Despite owning the game on Steam it should have been using Steamworks API for everything, but whatever I guess)

So I'm a little late to this party, I don't really care. R6Vegas2 was the only uPlay required thing I had and it was a extremely mediocre, embarrassingly bad entry in Rainbow Six.

A bit off-topic... Looks like it's not just Ubisoft that's purging inactive accounts. Other companies are also following suit.

I just received a mail from Google on my other email addresses (that was set as recovery email) and they're going to make a similar 2-year window for "inactive accounts" as well. It's not yet an issue for me as my account is still active to a limited extent, mainly through microG on my Android devices.

The wording in the mail is clear. "An inactive account and any content in it will be eligible for deletion from December 1, 2023." So anything you bought with it will be gone for good if your Google account is deemed inactive and deleted. While it does state that "After a Google Account is deleted, the Gmail address for the deleted account cannot be used again when creating a new Google Account." so by principle, no one should be able to register another Gmail account (?) using the same name to deceive others masquerading as you minus typosquatting, one can't really believe in every word Google said.

Not to mention Google is considering making something that could possibly be used as a "DRM for web pages" and the authors of the proposal are now in panic mode following community backlash -- they've locked down the repo since a few days ago so only those who have contributed in the past can post now.

(?) EDIT: I think Google's wording here kind of confused me after a bit further reading... I think I might have made a mistake to consider Gmail and Google account the same thing... but from what I remember I do need to use a Gmail to access other parts of Google stuffs, and that was a long time ago, when Android was still 2.x at that time. Now I'm wondering if the inactive Gmail account itself would still remain after the purge of the Google account associated to it...

it's the same as with streaming movies

if you buy a movie on dvd it is there unchanging and can be watched as long as the dvd and your dvd reader lasts

if you rent a movie over streaming (and subscription to something like netflix is a form of renting) then you are agreeing to the terms - which mean the provider can remove it and/or edit it and the only option you have is stay subscribed or unsubscribe

if you are 'buying' games that are in any way reliant on a service provider then you are renting and as much as you may feel cheated should you lose it all when the company decides to switch off (or collapses!) you did agree to it

however good a game might be, if its relies on services then i just wont buy it - it really isn't a loss

most though will carry on 'buying' (ie renting) and younger generations, more used to it, will perceive that as "the way we do things" and see those who bemoan the negatives as out of touch with "how things are done" in the same way we might see older folk complaining about automated systems, lack of bank tellers, automated customer service systems and online everything as being stuck in the past

This feels kind of an advertisement for the Xbox Game Pass and the equivalent Ubisoft has. But it can't and doesn't apply to all games.

An example can be given for old GTAs, they have an extensive singleplayer modding community and a user would want a lifeline possession of the game instead of when the game is on the subscription.

God, I hate when publishers mess with older games making mandatory updates.
https://www.ign.com/articles/killer-instinct- … side-big-update
It should be considered them violating their own EULA and grounds for a refund. These are not the conditions we agree to when we buy games.

RandomStranger wrote on 2023-11-26, 08:48:

It should be considered them violating their own EULA and grounds for a refund. These are not the conditions we agree to when we buy games.

EULAs will typically include clauses that the software or service may be updated at any time.

I wonder if such clauses have ever been challenged in court.

Shponglefan wrote on 2023-11-26, 14:40:

RandomStranger wrote on 2023-11-26, 08:48:

It should be considered them violating their own EULA and grounds for a refund. These are not the conditions we agree to when we buy games.

EULAs will typically include clauses that the software or service may be updated at any time.

I wonder if such clauses have ever been challenged in court.

There are also times when the publisher makes a one sided change to the EULA with an update and if you don't agree to it you lose access to the old version while don't gain access to the new version. Especially if/when you can't disable auto updates.

This is the first game I ever refunded. I would have refunded more for this exact reason, but it's rare that publishers mess with the games I bought at such a convenient time (within the refund window).

Maybe I'll buy an XBone and the retail version of the game. If anyone has an XBone and, how does it fare with game updates? Are they mandatory? Can they be declined like on the 7th gen consoles? I don't care if it blocks me from online multiplayer, I don't care about anything other than local multi when it comes to fighting games.

And they do it again.
https://www.ign.com/articles/the-crew-deliste … down-early-2024
It was a decent racing game. A little sad to see it go. If you own it, enjoy while you can.

I consider this reverse piracy. At least I got it on a free giveaway, but imagine for the people paid for it AND its DLC.

Shponglefan wrote on 2023-11-26, 14:40:

I wonder if such clauses have ever been challenged in court.

If they are against the law, they can very easily be used against a publisher.

See: how Valve now offers refunds for Steam purchases

The interesting question is - does purging an account "free" all serial keys attached to it?
Probably not, because well, the driving force here is greed, but if it did - it would be somewhat easier to justify.

Got a similar problem with EA actual.
I am unable to log in using my origin credentials and all the games registered to the account are unavailiable.

noticed rayman legends and origins removed from my account 🙁(

rain wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:52:

noticed rayman legends and origins removed from my account 🙁(

That game was part of a previous killing spree.
https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/ubisoft- … -titles-3260586

Obligatory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUAX0gnZ3Nw

RandomStranger wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:59:

rain wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:52:

noticed rayman legends and origins removed from my account 🙁(

That game was part of a previous killing spree.
https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/ubisoft- … -titles-3260586

Huh? What does shutting down of online services or purging of empty accounts have to do with removing specific games from existing accounts?

I just verified - both Origins and Legends ("purchased" for free when Ubi had giveaways) are still present and playable from my Ubisoft Connect account.

dr_st wrote on 2024-01-11, 15:26:

RandomStranger wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:59:

rain wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:52:

noticed rayman legends and origins removed from my account 🙁(

That game was part of a previous killing spree.
https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/ubisoft- … -titles-3260586

Huh? What does shutting down of online services or purging of empty accounts have to do with removing specific games from existing accounts?

I just verified - both Origins and Legends ("purchased" for free when Ubi had giveaways) are still present and playable from my Ubisoft Connect account.

Weird, i think gonna email them what happened my games

RandomStranger wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:59:

rain wrote on 2024-01-11, 13:52:

noticed rayman legends and origins removed from my account 🙁(

That game was part of a previous killing spree.
https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/ubisoft- … -titles-3260586

It's been some time, what was the downloadable content in Brotherhood and The Forgotten Sands anyways?

(About forgotten sands, did they patch the Ubisoft drm locked DOORs?)

BEEN_Nath_58 wrote on 2024-01-11, 19:15:

It's been some time, what was the downloadable content in Brotherhood and The Forgotten Sands anyways?
(About forgotten sands, did they patch the Ubisoft drm locked DOORs?)

The DLC for Forgotten Sands included a couple of alternate costumes and challenge arenas. Some were only through Uplay, some through pre-order bonuses. If you had them prior to the discontinuation of the servers - the will still be available. If not - probably no way to unlock them legitimately now.

Regarding the DRM doors - good question, I haven't tried replaying the game since they shut down the servers.

And of course, the cracked Skidrow releases just have everything working. 😆