Ubisoft X The Crew Lawsuit Continues
Written by Dante Uzel on 10 April 2025 13:16
Ubisoft has filed a motion to dismiss a class action lawsuit related to the shutdown of its 2014 online racing game The Crew. The lawsuit, originally filed in November 2024, argues that Ubisoft misled customers into believing they were purchasing full ownership of the game, rather than a limited license.
Filed by Ubisoft’s legal team at Paul Hastings LLP and obtained by Polygon, the response pushes back strongly against the plaintiffs' claims. According to the filing, “Plaintiffs allege they were purchasing ‘unfettered ownership rights in the game,’ when the reality is they were ‘purchasing a license.’”
The lawsuit stems from Ubisoft’s decision to retire The Crew in March 2024, a move that effectively made the always-online game unplayable. The shutdown had been announced in December 2023, nearly a decade after the game’s release. Ubisoft’s filing says the plaintiffs — Alan Liu and Matthew Cassell — had ample time with the game after their purchases in 2018 and 2020.
“After making their purchases, Plaintiffs enjoyed access to The Crew for years before Ubisoft decided in late 2023 to retire and shut down the servers of the ten-year-old video game,” the response states. “Plaintiffs received the benefit of their bargain and cannot complain now that they were deceived simply because Ubisoft did not then create an offline version of the discontinued video game.”
Ubisoft also argues that the plaintiffs' claims are “time-barred,” citing California’s four-year statute of limitations. It further claims that the lawsuit is overreaching: “Plaintiffs apply a kitchen sink approach on behalf of a putative class of nationwide customers, alleging eight causes of action including violations of California’s False Advertising Law, Unfair Competition Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, as well as common law fraud and breach of warranty claims.”
A key point of Ubisoft’s defense is that the game’s packaging and promotional materials made clear that users were purchasing a limited license and that online play was required. The filing includes images of the game’s box art, which contains a 30-day shutdown notice clause and an explicit warning about the always-online nature of the game.
Ubisoft emphasized that no "cognizable injury" was suffered, and noted its more recent efforts to address community concerns. “In September 2024, in response to community requests, Ubisoft announced it was adding offline modes to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest,” the filing reads. “The original 2014 game wasn’t included in that move.”
Released in December 2014, The Crew was an open-world, always-online racing game developed by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft. The game featured a scaled-down version of the continental United States and allowed players to freely explore, race, and complete missions either solo or with others online.
Unlike traditional racing games, The Crew required a constant internet connection to play—even in single-player modes—due to its shared-world design. Over time, it developed a loyal player base, but also faced criticism for its online dependency and lack of offline functionality.
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Tags: Ubisoft
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