Now, digital stores emphasizes digital games are licenses, not ownership

[ThunderBoy]

This change, according to users, is related to a California law that came into effect in 2024. The law requires platforms to explicitly state that they provide access under license, rather than selling digital products in the traditional sense. The law also prohibits the use of the words "buy" and "acquire" without further clarification.

Although the requirement formally concerns California, Xbox decided distribute the disclaimer throughout the store. But this doesn't solve the main problem: DRM-protected games may become unavailable at any time, if the publisher shuts down the servers or removes the game. This is especially true for subscribers. Game Pass, where the list of available games is updated regularly, and notifications about deletions are given only a couple of weeks in advance.

https://en.gamegpu.com/game/Xbox-is-canceling-digital-games;-it's-a-license--not-ownership.

 

[RustySK]

I could have sworn that snippet has been on Steam for ages now. Anyway, yeah, that's digital storefronts for you. So convenient, eh?
Buy on GoG, buy physical, don't support the mandatory digital-only bullshit Nintendo has been pushing lately. The industry's fucked and has been for a long time.

 

[moonbits]

Exploiting convenience is how modern capitalism thrives, enjoy the present because it will get much, much worse.
[inser cyberpunk music here]

 

[iamthemilkman]

This is why I only use one digital store:

 

[ThunderBoy]

Buy on GoG, buy physical, don't support the mandatory digital-only bullshit Nintendo has been pushing lately. The industry's fucked and has been for a long time.

Yes, GoG is the only digital store where it's worth spending money to buy games.

As for the others...

 

[Matricks]

EVERYBOBY:

 

[Bakuma1997]

Meanwhile GOG: You paid for the game, you keep the damn game

 

[vulonkaaz's iconvulonkaaz]

games were always just licenses, but now with mandatory accounts they just realized they could get away with much more than before

Meanwhile GOG: You paid for the game, you keep the damn game
View attachment 117793

technically they still just sell licenses too (it's just that they don't add any technical means to actually ensure you're respecting the terms of that license)

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

I don't mind these digital games being licenses. This is exactly why when I'm buying from any digital store-front, I won't pay for something unless it is insanely cheap.

Unless it's GoG. Then I wait for sales but just buy stuff and shove it on my backup HDD.

 

[bjork]

They've been licenses, way back to the arguments of shrink-wrap licenses. This isn't something new, and in an era where you can pirate damn near anything with very little legwork, there are workarounds if you so choose with very few exceptions.

 

[Sumea]

Yeah. Gotta agree, Steam purchases are still the same as they were, it always was like this and people who would think about what they buy know about this. Home movies are one case where you also own a license to do a limited amount of things as a owner of the license and media of that home version.

Still nothing against it being called as what it is.
On other hand; our dear indies doing the great games most people universally still love especially after something like Silksong would not thrive without customers paying for their game on platforms like Steam and PSN Store. There is much that has been achieved under the current digital distribution systems, although some of that is bad, and we has game removals already during PS3 era, and they will go on. You could buy Outrun Arcade or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure for very limited time due to licensing on PS3, and Marvel vs. Capcom games disappeared also. Physical games at least dodged these types of shenanigans. though modern scalp-r-us market would just drive the prices of those games to roof. Whatever was the price of PS4 with PT installed on it.

 

[sneakyguts]

yeah you own nothing in this day and age

 

[nobitakun]

If people cared enough about digital issues we would have all companies saying that the license they sell you is legaly a lifetime license (lifense) that no matter what they can't revoke, otherwise they would sell 0. But hey, you're fighting against the world.

 

[Graves Ruinwalker]

Exploiting convenience is how modern capitalism thrives, enjoy the present because it will get much, much worse.
[inser cyberpunk music here]

Tbh , its not capitalisms fault .
I would say its just greed in its extreme form pushed with unhinged corperatism without any compromises accepted .

Let us not forget that our ignorance let it go so far and right now comes the pushback in full force that should be there earlier . I cant blame anyone because we didnt knew better back then and we were still naive .

Capitalism is what gave us the deals and classics in gaming , music and movies to appreciate and hold its value for what we bought and get .
Greed made those deals bad and devalue everything to get a squeezing quick buck out of us from every pore of our body and bank-account .

It was always a take or leave it kind of thing.

 

[jon2]

That's why I ain't buying from them

One thing I learned is that our money is a vote; we vote which businesses see success and which ones sink

I ain't voting for them

 

[Leifang]

Wait till you get your hands on a VHS or DVD or any program CD and read a similar disclaimer that you're only renting a copy. Ownership isn't a thing with media, never was. Reason people like physical copies is the store can't be closed and they can't be blocked, but technically you never owned Matrix on a Blu-Ray (WB did) or Photoshop (Adobe does), this is how intellectual property works.

 

[Sfjeov]

https://en.gamegpu.com/game/Xbox-is-canceling-digital-games;-it's-a-license--not-ownership.

 

[Netra]

They are forced to do that, they inform you that in the contract you agreed when you create an account and hide into a walls of legal text, now they are forced to emphasize this.

Post automatically merged: Today at 9:08 PM

Exploiting convenience is how modern capitalism thrives, enjoy the present because it will get much, much worse.
[inser cyberpunk music here]

Sound more like mercantilism than capitalism.

 

[jon2]

Wait till you get your hands on a VHS or DVD or any program CD and read a similar disclaimer that you're only renting a copy. Ownership isn't a thing with media, never was. Reason people like physical copies is the store can't be closed and they can't be blocked, but technically you never owned Matrix on a Blu-Ray (WB did) or Photoshop (Adobe does), this is how intellectual property works.

You mean this?

Usually found on legal VHS tapes

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

The SKG hearing can't come fast enough.

 

[qw90700]

Legally when you pay for a product you get the right to use it, so the product still owned by the company. Customers can't own it, they only get "license" to use it and before it the act of paying is agreement to get the license and using the product means the act of agreement of Terms of Usage™©℗®. This is what we knew already but IDK new generation kids having lots to pay for + the delusion of digital age made them misunderstand they own stuff especially in context of "I got the file so I can copy paste anywhere I want lololol":

So this did not change. And new generation kids having a wrong fight when any sane people focuses on the actual "fight" here that what changed is "Games are not meant to be played forever" and Ubishit shits on your wallet and feel entitled to delete your own game, and they "would you kindly" ask you to delete the game from your device. This is the actual BS that is WTF you smoking dude shit.

Unless a product causes harm there is no "force" to make a company able to prevent you to use the product you paid for a license to use which are meant to be forever, but video game companies found a legal loophole by turning games into tied service model to make them work via "rent" system. This is like entering arcade place and playing as much as you paid evolved into shit BS. Do you know why arcade crashed hard? People eventually didn't wanna pay a lot everytime they wanted to play the game, so they bought console and PC games for "pay once play forever". So if they make it "pay once and play for few years" this will be another arcade crush shit. When they deleting games from your library no one would pay for more than $10. When it comes to this Gamepass was "ok" until they raised the $$$ and then they raise prices of video games and then they complain "we already ask too less" when they don't get the issue that it's plain horse shit stupid bullshit to pay for something that you would prefer to keep but you can't. It's like paying for a table to use it for 3 years, and in the end table just stop existing. People have no problem paying until it doesn't make sense to pay for it.

In the end it's their greed and free will to do their own business in however way they want. When they had crashed like Titanic they would blame customers while it would be better to pay for waifu gacha shit in F2P gacha rubbish (at least I own my waifuuuuusss). lolol

 

[Sir Auriel of Lionel]

I'm glad they finally put it in writing what I've been telling my mom for years on Kindle. I'm just hoping to finish my wishlist and never log on again.

 

[throughdarkness]

So the public thought this was a big win when it happened, as if these people are finally being honest. The truth is, the concept of a digital marketplace, and all that comes with it, has been so deeply drilled into the minds of people that it is normalized. Now that they can just flat out say, "you don't own anything", it's no issue to do so. Maybe even considered honorable in the minds of some folks.

So in my opinion this is massive loss and pretty much seals the structure of the marketplace going forward as it is formalized by law and will be common practice where it is not. Sorry to be a downer. On the bright side games largely suck now and there's never been a better time to enjoy old games.

 

[SliperyHippo]

I still buy steam games because I think out of all the evil big corporations, for as long as Gabe Newel is in charge, within steam I'll still have 99% of my games even if I have to replace my computer- and I also think the service on top of the games they provide is worth the price of admission.