Ubisoft: Log In or Lose It

Gaming
,
#1

As if we needed another reason to dislike Ubisoft in its current form and with its anti-consumer actions.

Ubisoft has confirmed that users who don’t sign into their Ubisoft account could lose access to their games, their Ubisoft store points, and any Ubisoft links. While the account closure policy is not new (Closure of inactive Ubisoft accounts | Ubisoft Help) it has only come to light this week as an Ubisoft user highlighted the email warning they received from Ubi, confirming that their account had been suspended and was pending deletion in 30 days.

image
image746×1108 92.8 KB

The note that “We may also close long-term inactive accounts to maintain our database.” in that Support article suggests that maybe Ubisoft need to improve their database servers if they’re unable to maintain a bunch of dormant account data. Remember, this is the same organisation that dropped online server support for a host of games in order to (at least partly) “clean up our servers”.

There’s no clear indication of whether this log in needs to be in the ugly Ubisoft app or whether a quick log in to one of the many Ubisoft store pages will suffice. It’s also not clear exactly how long an account needs to be inactive for before the deletion warning is triggered.

I personally haven’t used the Ubi launcher for a good few months but do have my Ubisoft account linked to GOG Galaxy (when it works) and to Playnite (for when GOG Galaxy isn’t working) and assume that those count as log ins?

When was the last time you logged in to your Ubisoft account? Is it even still active, or did you maybe miss the 30-day notice email that’s sitting in your Spam mail folder because it looks, reads, and feels like a weak phishing attempt?

https://gamerant.com/ubisoft-delete-inactive-accounts-games/

1 Like
#2

I didn’t even get an email, but I have avoided any newer ubi games because of the extra launcher. I think I got annoyed when I launched Anno 2070 and then the ubi launcher popped up and started updating the game.

2 Likes
#3

I logged in yesterday to play some more Far Cry 5…

2 Likes
#4

Another unpopular, anti-consumer decision from the company full of anti-consumer decisions. Rather than improve their system or come up with a solution for dormant accounts they go with the easy option of deleting the account.

Ubi has always relied on their blockbuster games to compensate for their anti-consumer practices, and when the games are good that strategy works. People hate the company but will still buy the games they really want. The pressure for Ubi is that they HAVE to keep delivering bigger and better blockbusters.

3 Likes
#5

I can’t believe some governmental body hasn’t taken them to court. You buy something. You own it. Unilaterally removing it after the purchase… isn’t that illegal?

2 Likes
#6

The publisher confirmed it has “for many years now” deleted inactive accounts in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on how long companies are permitted to store individual personal information. The company claims its policies are “aligned with legal requirements and with the standards of the industry” and that they also serve as fraud prevention.

However, Ubisoft also clarified its criteria for account deletion, noting that it absolutely does not include accounts that have purchased games attached to them. The publisher it takes the following into account:

  • The gaming activity of the account since its creation
  • The account’s libraries: accounts that include purchased PC games are not eligible for deletion [emphasis Ubisoft’s]
  • The duration of inactivity of the account, meaning the last login to our ecosystem (including from Ubisoft games on Steam and other platforms)
  • In practice, as of today, we have never deleted accounts that have been inactive for less than 4 years
  • The existence of an active subscription tied to the account.
1 Like
#7

So, is this a case of shoddy reporting? Did the major media outlet’s not read the fine print? I confess, I didn’t bother reading anything in detail, with Ubisoft’s official communications. Especially when the launcher auto starts with windows :man_shrugging: it’s probably not an issue. Also, what on earth do you do with an account that doesn’t actually have a game linked to the account? Hoe werk daai? You log into UPlay to spy on your friends? You love news from the launcher, instead of just going to the website?

:confused:

4 Likes
#8

Reporting these days amounts to reading a headline on reddit, grabbing a pitchfork, writing the same headline out in five different ways, plastering a plague of pop-up ads on the page, and hitting the “publish” button.

3 Likes
#9

This statement seems to contradict reports of people who purchased games via Steam that lost access to their libraries.

2 Likes
#10

I did this yesterday, because I realised I haven’t played the Far Cry 5 DLC with those obnoxious twins.

3 Likes