Ubisoft has once again been sued over its "always-online" 2014 racing game The Crew, which it took decidedly offline and made unplayable in 2024. The unpopular decision spawned the Stop Killing Games initiative soon after, along with a class-action lawsuit from California, and now, a lawsuit from the French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir.
French news site (translated by GamesRadar+) 20 Minutes reports via AFP news agency that UFC-Que Choisir announced March 31 it would sue Ubisoft over The Crew's shutdown and allegedly "deceptive" business practices and "abusive" contract clauses. The group calls Ubisoft's attitude toward suddenly revoking game access to owners "unacceptable"; in 2025, Ubisoft told those California plaintiffs they had already enjoyed The Crew for a decade "and cannot complain now [...] simply because Ubisoft did not then create an offline version of the discontinued video game." This lawsuit is apparently ongoing.
Stop Killing Games, which is now backing UFC-Que Choisir's new suit, isn't satisfied with this justification from Ubisoft. As of 2026, the proposal's European Citizens' Initiative has over one million verified signatures, and its adherents have set up two lobbying groups in both Europe and the US in an effort to stave off "publishers destroying video games that you've already paid for," as movement founder Ross Scott said.
It's a "particularly clear, textbook case from a legal standpoint," UFC-Que Choisir lawyer Brune Blanc-Durand comments on the matter to AFP. The consumer group just can't imagine how Ubisoft finds it appropriate to sell a user license that could be "revocable at any time."
