After turning on your Xbox Series X console, open the Microsoft Store and purchase Farming Simulator 22you may think you own this game but you are wrong. You actually paid to license the game, not own it. Companies can revoke their license at any time. It doesn’t happen very often, but it does happen, especially with older games: Ubisoft made headlines earlier this year when racing game deleted Crew in Decemberturned off its servers and then started downloading licenses for the game. Licensing vs. actually owning a game becomes an issue once again when you consider where your games go after you die – technically, you can’t transfer your license to another person, as is the policy of many companies.
New California bill (AB 2426), signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, is an attempt to bring transparency to the buying and selling of digital goods like movies, e-books and, yes, video games. The bill was introduced by California Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwinpartly after hearing about Ubisoft’s move Crew. The bill won’t change the fact that we all license games instead of actually owning them, but it will force companies operating in California to be more clear about this issue. The companies and storefronts that would have to comply with these requirements include Microsoft with its Microsoft Store, Valve with Steam, Sony with its PlayStation Store, Nintendo with its eShop, and publishers with their own stores such as Ubisoft’s Ubisoft Store.
Polygon reached out to all previously listed companies but did not receive a response by press time.
“By sending AB 2426 to Governor Newsom, California is now the first state to recognize that when digital media retailers use terms such as “buy” and “purchase” to advertise digital media licenses, they are engaging in false advertising.” professor at the University of Michigan Aaron Perzanowski said in Irwin’s press release. “Consumers around the world deserve to understand that when they spend money on digital movies, music, books and games, these so-called ‘purchases’ may disappear without notice. There is still much work to be done in securing consumers’ digital rights, but AB 2426 is a key step in the right direction.”
Digital shopping is already ubiquitous as physical media becomes more complex to find. Stores like Best Buy have stopped selling physical movies altogetherand it wouldn’t be surprising if more retailers followed suit. Physical video games apply the disc as a license and that disc belongs to you. However, the company can still take servers offline, for example – access is still not guaranteed.