Ubisoft Clarifies That It Won’t Delete Game Libraries Due to Game Inactivity After Fan Panic
Fans of Ubisoft games were thrown into a mild panic over the weekend when rumors spread that Ubisoft would voluntarily delete inactive Ubisoft accounts, potentially destroying digital game libraries forever if users didn’t log on often enough. However, Ubisoft has clarified that this is false and that users’ digital game libraries are safe even if their accounts are inactive.
Rumors spread that A tweet went viral You will see an email with the subject “Ubisoft account closed due to inactivity”. The email stated that the recipient’s Ubisoft account would be temporarily suspended and permanently closed after 30 days unless the closure was canceled by the account owner.
Ubisoft will close your account if you have not logged in for a while.
All purchased games will be lost forever. pic.twitter.com/exC78bUt93
—AntiDRM🔴 (@PC_enjoyer) July 19, 2023
This email was later confirmed as legitimate by the official Ubisoft Support Twitter account. repeat the instructions given To cancel a pending account closure.
All of this is legitimate, but what really caused people to panic was the original poster’s claim that “any game you buy will be lost forever.”
In an email to IGN, Ubisoft clarified its position on the account deletion. The publisher confirmed that it has been deleting inactive accounts “over the years” in compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on how long companies are allowed to store personal information. The company claims its policies “comply with legal requirements and industry standards” and also help prevent fraud.
However, Ubisoft also clarified its criteria for account deletion, stating that it would never include the account that purchased the game. The issuer considers:
- Game activity since account creation
- Account Library: Accounts containing purchased PC games are not eligible for deletion [emphasis Ubisoft’s]
- Period of account inactivity, i.e. last login to the ecosystem (including logins from Ubisoft games on Steam and other platforms)
- In fact, as of today, we have never deleted accounts that were less than 4 years old.
- Presence of active subscriptions associated with the account.
Ubisoft added that emails like the one circulated will be sent to users 30 days before account deletion, and if users attempt to log in during that period, they will receive a notification and a link to reactivate their account upon login. Learn more about that policy here. Official website.
So if you haven’t logged into your Ubisoft account in years, you’re not in danger of losing your game library.Of course there are still There’s a lot more to worry about when it comes to digital ownership of games There is always a risk of losing these libraries, especially at a time when digital game releases seem poised to push out physical games. But rest assured, at least in this situation, Ubisoft isn’t just blindly wiping accounts.
Rebekah Valentine is IGN’s Senior Reporter. Do you have any story hints? Please send to rvalentine@ign.com.
