AB 2426 is newly passed legislation in California, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier this week, that will force companies that sell digital products, such as games, in the state to warn consumers that they do not actually own this contentbut license it and You may lose access to it in the future.
Buying a video game digitally doesn’t mean you own it forever. Often, you can download and play again years later. But that’s no guarantee, since you typically don’t buy access to a game, but instead pay for a license to use it, agreeing that one day the company behind it can remove it from the store and kill its servers , and make it impossible to do so in the future. We recently saw this game in a Ubisoft game crew, It was shut down without any warning last year.. This led to a massive counter-campaign Go against publishers and other companies who might try to do this. Now California is joining the fight.
The sponsor of the bill, California Congressman Jacqui Irwin (Democratic Party) Tell game files The newly passed legislation was “driven by consumers losing access to content.”
“The main story that brought this issue to my attention was Sony’s announcement late last year that digital copies of content purchased from Discovery would be revoked,” Irving told us. Game files.
December 2023A large number of Discovery TV shows will be removed from the PSN store due to the imminent expiration of the licensing agreement between Sony and WB. Even if you buy these shows, e.g. MythBustersyou won’t be able to watch them after December 31st. Sony and Warner Bros. reach last-minute deal to avoid this, but it’s a very public reminder that you don’t really own your digital content. At any time, the company can delete it, choose not to re-enter the contract or the thing you own, and just like that, everything you “own” is gone. While the new bill won’t prevent this from happening, it will force companies to understand the situation more clearly.
What the new California law means for publishers
AB 2426 It is illegal for any company that sells digital goods in California to use terms like “buy” or “purchase” without including a warning that what you are “buying” may disappear or become unavailable in the future. Starting in January, companies selling digital games in California will have to “state in plain language” that they are purchasing a limited license, not actual merchandise.
“Ubisoft’s actions crew It further highlights the pervasive nature of this problem,” Owen said.
If a company violates the law, it could face a fine of $2,500 per illegal listing or be found to have violated the state’s Unfair Competition Law.
There will be some exemptions, including games that are free to download or games that include an offline mode that allows the game to be played without a constant connection to the internet.
Owen told game files She hopes the new law will help incentivize companies to seek longer-term licensing deals, develop subscription plans and think more about the future. For example, Ubisoft and other companies may want to avoid running afoul of this new law in California and therefore will work to include actual offline modes in games, e.g. The Crew: Car Festival at the time of publication rather than adding it later due to online pressure.
Irving said the program is to help consumers avoid paying a “premium for false ownership.” While California may only be a state, it is the most populous state in the United States. Millions of gamers live in California, and businesses around the world won’t want to stop selling games in the state next year. So hopefully this new law will help everyone by forcing companies to incorporate offline modes or clearly warn you about your identity actually Buy when you buy a digital game.
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