Steam Makes Big Change to Game Purchases

Key Takeaways

• The newly signed California law AB 2426 will force companies to admit to buyers that digital games are sold as licenses, and Steam has already implemented this disclosure.
• Steam shopping carts now inform users that they’re purchasing a license for a game.

Steam has started informing users that any games purchased on the digital storefront will only grant a license for those games. This is most likely a preemptive measure for a forthcoming California law that will force storefronts like Steam to disclose that digital game purchases don’t entail outright ownership for buyers.

For all the conveniences they offer, digital games have always had the caveat of simply being licenses that can be accessed at any time. However, this access is granted by game publishers and can be revoked at any time, flying directly in the face of traditional “ownership.” This is especially troublesome for online-only games, as evidenced by Ubisoft rendering The Crew unplayable after delisting it last year. There has been a lot of discourse about digital game ownership (or lack thereof) in recent years, and it seems to be reaching the right places.

A newly signed California law will restrict digital storefronts from using terms like “buy” or “purchase” when selling digital games unless they divulge that buyers are indeed purchasing a license. The law will come into effect next year, but it appears that the leading PC games storefront, Steam, is already ahead of the curve. Steam users have pointed out a new notice in their shopping carts that states “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.” This is followed by a link to Steam’s Subscriber Agreement.

New Steam Alert Clarifies that Buyers Don’t Own Digital Games

More transparency regarding the complications that come with digital game “ownership” is always welcome, and it’s no surprise that Steam is the first to implement this change. Many PC gamers consider Valve to be one of the most consumer-friendly gaming companies out there, partly due to the helpful features regularly added to Steam. The recently added alert informing buyers of the truth behind their digital games further reinforces this notion, and it remains to be seen whether other digital game storefronts will begin disclosing the same anytime soon.

While the Californian law won’t change how digital game ownership is handled at a core level, it’s still a promising step that keeps consumers in the know about their rights when buying digital games. The overwhelming criticism levied at Ubisoft for The Crew situation will also hopefully encourage other publishers to ensure that their games are fully functional with or without an internet connection.