Ubisoft Clarifies That It Will not Delete Recreation Libraries Because of Recreation Inactivity After Fan Panic

Over the weekend, followers of Ubisoft video games underwent a minor panic as a rumor unfold that Ubisoft may be spontaneously deleting inactive Ubisoft accounts, completely destroying digital sport libraries if customers aren’t logging on usually sufficient. Nevertheless, Ubisoft has now clarified that that is false, and customers’ digital sport libraries are secure, even when their accounts are inactive.

The rumors had been kicked off when a tweet circulated displaying an e mail entitled “Ubisoft Account Closure Because of Inactivity.” The e-mail instructed that the recipient’s Ubisoft account had been quickly suspended, and could be closed completely in 30 days until the closure was canceled by the account proprietor.

UBISOFT closes your account when you haven’t logged in for a while.

You’ll lose all of your video games bought eternally. pic.twitter.com/exC78bUt93

— AntiDRM? (@PC_enjoyer) July 19, 2023

The e-mail was then confirmed to be official by the official Ubisoft Help Twitter account, which reiterated the given instructions for canceling the pending account closure.

Whereas all of that is official, what induced folks to panic was the context provided by the unique poster, who claimed that “You’ll lose all of your video games bought eternally.”

In an e mail to IGN, Ubisoft clarified its stance on account deletions. The writer confirmed it has “for a few years now” deleted inactive accounts in accordance with the EU’s Normal Information Safety Regulation (GDPR) on how lengthy firms are permitted to retailer particular person private info. The corporate claims its insurance policies are “aligned with authorized necessities and with the requirements of the trade” and that additionally they function fraud prevention.

Nevertheless, Ubisoft additionally clarified its standards for account deletion, noting that it completely doesn’t embody accounts which have bought video games hooked up to them. The writer it takes the next into consideration:

• The gaming exercise of the account since its creation
• The account’s libraries: accounts that embody bought PC video games aren’t eligible for deletion [emphasis Ubisoft’s]
• The period of inactivity of the account, that means the final login to our ecosystem (together with from Ubisoft video games on Steam and different platforms)
  • In observe, as of at the moment, we now have by no means deleted accounts which have been inactive for lower than 4 years
• The existence of an energetic subscription tied to the account.

Ubisoft added that emails such because the one circulated are despatched to customers 30 days previous to account deletion, and if a consumer tries to log in throughout that window, they’ll obtain a discover and a hyperlink to reactivate the account upon login. You may learn extra about its coverage on its official web site.

So no, if you have not logged into your Ubisoft account in years, you are not on the verge of shedding your sport library. After all, there’s nonetheless loads extra to fret about relating to digital possession of video games or different media and the danger of shedding these libraries at any time, particularly at a time when digital sport releases appear poised to push out bodily any day now, however you possibly can relaxation assured that at the very least on this state of affairs, Ubisoft is not simply obliterating accounts willy-nilly.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Bought a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.