Ubisoft argues that The Crew players should not have expected to own an online game forever in ongoing lawsuit

As part of an ongoing lawsuit between disgruntled players and Ubisoft over The Crew's shutdown, the publisher has argued that players should never have expected to own the game forever due to its reliance on online servers.

The details:

• Last year, Ubisoft announced that it would discontinue online services for the 2014 racing title The Crew, rendering the game inaccessible to all players. The decision sparked a debate about game ownership, particularly as The Crew was able to be played entirely solo with little interaction with its multiplayer components. This eventually led to a lawsuit filed by two fans in November, claiming that the publisher misled them into believing they owned the game rather than just the license.

• As reported by Polygon, Ubisoft is attempting to have the case dismissed in court, citing a filing from February. According to the filing, while Ubisoft "allegedly misled purchasers of its video game The Crew into believing they were purchasing unfettered ownership rights," it claims that buyers "received the benefit of their bargain and were explicitly notified, at the time of purchase, that they were purchasing a license."

• Ubisoft's lawyers also accused the plaintiffs of taking a "kitchen sink approach on behalf of a putative class of nationwide customers," as well as "alleging eight causes of action" that included violations of several advertising and consumer rights laws. As a result, the publisher believes there is no "cognizable injury," and provided several examples of The Crew's packaging to back up its point.

• However, the plaintiffs responded to Ubisoft in March, claiming that the publisher had assigned game codes an expiration date of 2099, implying that the game would be playable for an extended period of time. The two players also accuse Ubisoft of violating California law, arguing that codes for The Crew's in-game currency fall into the same category as gift cards, which are not allowed to expire in the state, but have technically expired with the game's closure. Ubisoft now has until April 29 to respond.

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