Steam now warns customers that they are only purchasing a license when paying for a game

Ahead of California’s new law requiring storefronts to make it clear that customers are only purchasing a license to digital content, not full ownership of it, Steam implemented a message at the point of purchase to do so.

Californian new legislationwhich 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 “buy, purchase, or any other term that a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in digital goods” – instead requiring them to make “clear and conspicuous statements explaining the nature “needs to be displayed. Of their transactions.

AND WHEREAS THE LEGISLATION, OFFICIALLY KNOWN ab 2426While it won’t formally go into effect until next year, Valve has already made changes to Steam’s shopping cart to encourage customers to purchase licenses – with the changes being rolled out internationally, including in the UK. Steam’s shopping cart now has a small message below the ‘Continue to Payment’ button that reads, “Purchase of a digital product grants a license to the product on Steam.” Next is a link to the Steam Subscriber Agreement, which has additional information.

California’s new law does not apply to games offered as part of a subscription service, games “sold” or given away for free, or games that can be downloaded and played offline permanently. That hasn’t stopped GOG, a storefront known for its commitment to DRM-free games, from being a little cheeky in light of Steam’s changes.

“Since checkout banners are trending,” the company wrote in one. post on social media“We’re thinking of installing one ourselves.” It includes a GOG shopping cart mockup attached with a new message of its own: “Purchasing a digital product on GOG provides you with its offline installer, that can’t be taken away from you,

Legislation AB 2426 follows several high profile examples of games being removed from owners’ libraries in recent days. Ubisoft made headlines after its launch earlier this year The Crew quietly cancels players’ licensesAnd PlayStation opted to withdraw access to PS5 shooter Concord (albeit while providing a refund). Announcing that it is shutting down the servers,

In particular the controversy caused by Ubisoft’s decision led to a renewed discussion about video game preservation and the establishment of Stop Killing Games – an initiative aimed at Raise political and legal challenges It is becoming more and more common for purchased games to become unplayable. And while legislation like AB 2426 doesn’t fundamentally fix the problem, it at least attempts to give consumers better information before purchasing.