Ahead of new California legislation requiring stores to make it clear that customers are only purchasing a license for digital content rather than owning it directly, Steam has implemented a point-of-purchase message that does just that.
California's new legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in late September, aims to make consumers more aware of the sometimes temporary nature of digital ownership. It explicitly prohibits sellers from using the words “purchase, acquire or any other term that a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good,” instead requiring them to display a “clear and conspicuous statement” explaining nature. of your transaction.
And although the legislation, officially known as AB 2426, does not formally take effect until next year, Valve has already modified the Steam shopping cart to highlight that customers are purchasing a license, and the changes are displayed internationally, including the UK. The Steam shopping cart now features a short message below the “Proceed to Checkout” button, which reads: “Purchasing a digital product grants you a license to the product on Steam.” This is followed by a link to the Steam Subscriber Agreement, which contains additional information.
California's new law does not apply to games offered as part of a subscription service, games “sold” or given away, or games that can be downloaded and played permanently offline. That hasn't stopped GOG, a store known for its commitment to DRM-free gaming, from getting a little cheeky in light of Steam's changes.
“Since payment signs are all the rage,” the company wrote in a social media post, “we're thinking about putting one up ourselves.” It included a GOG shopping cart mockup along with a new message of its own: “Purchasing a digital product on GOG gives you its offline installers, they can't take it away from you“.
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The AB 2426 legislation follows several high-profile cases of games being removed from owners' libraries in recent times. Ubisoft made headlines earlier this year after it began quietly revoking The Crew players' licenses, and PlayStation opted to withdraw access to PS5 shooter Concord (albeit offering refunds) after announcing it was shutting down servers.
The controversy caused by Ubisoft's decision in particular led to a revitalized discourse around the preservation of video games and the establishment of Stop Killing Games, an initiative that aims to raise political and legal challenges to the increasingly common occurrence of purchased games that become unplayable. And while legislation like AB 2426 does not solve the root problem, it at least seeks to better inform consumers before making a purchase.