The biggest digital store for PC games on the planet, Steam, has updated its interface to include a disclaimer warning people that buying a game doesn’t mean you “own” it in the traditional sense.
A new banner on the site states, “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.” This is part of the terms and conditions of the Steam Subscriber Agreement.
The introduction of this disclaimer follows new legislation from the state of California requiring digital storefronts–covering games, movies, music, and ebooks–to clarify licensing terms to customers. The law comes as questions have arisen in recent years regarding what “ownership” means in a world increasingly dominated by digital products.
“As retailers continue to pivot away from selling physical media, the need for consumer protections on the purchase of digital media has become increasingly more important,” California Assembly member Jacqui Irwin said in a press release.
California’s law is set to go into effect in 2025, but it appears Steam is getting ahead of it by issuing the disclaimer now. Presumably other digital storefronts for games will follow at some point in the future.
The new law aims to help consumers better understand how digital licenses operate–but it doesn’t prevent companies from yanking access to content people already purchased. For example, Ubisoft removed The Crew from players’ libraries after the servers shut down.
Developers often close servers for older games as player populations fall, but it’s less common for games to be removed from libraries entirely. This also happened with the multiplayer shooter Concord, but in that case, players got refunds. Additionally, Hideo Kojima’s single-player game PT was available for a short period of time before being removed entirely. It was a free game, but some believed they’d be able to play it forever.
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