Star Wars Outlaws is an upcoming title that is being developed, and it is also being marketed as the first-ever open-world Star Wars game. Massive Entertainment is developing the game. Ubisoft is publishing it.
Soon after the controversy regarding the game’s microtransactions, which saw fans express dissatisfaction with the company, another news story left fans livid. This time, the company has gone on to do something even more questionable.
After the Star Wars Outlaws Battle Pass Outrage, Ubisoft Invites Trouble Again
The Crew was a title released by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft. It was also the first installment in the racing game series, which now has three titles. Being an always-online title, the game received a lot of criticism, but it came with a map that was massive, being a scaled-down version of the United States map.
The company also gave the game away for free during an event celebrating its 30th anniversary, Ubi30. Then, suddenly, the studio decided to snatch players’ licenses with the title and shut down its servers.
Since it was an always-online title, the game was unplayable for users and sparked widespread outrage by players against the company’s decision. The game is not available for sale on any marketplaces, and people are reacting to it on social media, too.
Another gamer on X stated how there could have been alternative measures instead of stripping away licenses:
Unsurprisingly, the servers were shut down, and the game was decommissioned when it was over eight years old. However, there is also another dimension to this decision. Despite being constantly online, the game also had a single-player campaign, which should be available to players.
Ubisoft’s Stance on Digital Ownership Goes Deeper Than The Crew
The studio has been crystal clear about its stance on digital ownership since it announced its subscription service. While decommissioning a game and shutting down its servers after ten years may be acceptable, the studio’s decision goes deeper than that.
Firstly, this implies that any company can justify its actions using corporate jargon, decommission any game at any given time, and even revoke licenses as per its will. Secondly, if a digital purchase doesn’t mean that the consumer owns the product, is it even a ‘purchase‘ in the first place?
Also, with subscriptions being the new thing in the market, purchasing a title individually means gamers can pick and choose products on which they spend their hard-earned money. But apparently, that means nothing nowadays, as companies have the right to deem a purchase null.
The only way consumers can make themselves heard in this scenario is by voting with their wallets so that game studios and companies know how dissatisfied the community is. What is your take on this license revoked by the studio? We would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.
