Spurred by California law(?)… Steam is now posting:
“A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”
Maybe Game Stop has a brick and mortar chance after all and not care of (or in conjunction with) kitty.
Spurred by California law(?)… Steam is now posting:
“A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”
Maybe Game Stop has a brick and mortar chance after all and not care of (or in conjunction with) kitty.
Blame two class action law suits. They are playing with terms of service to avoid the lawsuits. Part of it is that you either cancel your account or you get dropped out of the lawsuit. Lots of Youtube videos on it.
… and now that I actually read the article, yeah, looks like California law striking again, as well.
Did anything actually change or did Valve just make it more obvious?
Valve will actually pay up to 10k$ in lawyers fees if you want to sue them. You just have to give up your account to do so. GoG.com has put out messages that unlike some other platforms, you own the game if you buy through them. Will see how it shakes out for Valve long term. They have shot themselves, the question is, was it a grazing woulnd or a mortal one.
My understanding from all these stores is that you are buying a license. Yes you can download the game and yes GOG lets you download installers but at the end of the day you legally own the license not the game. Does it make any difference in the end?
I’m not a lawyer. Obviously.
Nothing has actually changed, it’s just a wording clarification.
GOG’s defense IS just the installers. If those games go away, they still go away, and no installer will give you control over that. They’re trying a different approach, and it will help in a few cases, but mostly means nothing.
Nothing changed
I remember the same blow up in the 90s when the concept of licensing and not owning software started solidifying and receiving supporting rulings in the courts
Steam has just moved it from buried in the small print to top of the page
I recall the 90s when the whole issue of who owns a character became the theme of MMO news… DAOC, etc. Nothing about license vs ownership of a game. Though maybe/maybe not.
IMO, Steam is a step closer to becoming a monthly subscription service. Hold people’s “licensed games” at the ownership of use based on subscription.
I have an Amazon Audible account that i no longer pay monthly. I still have access to my audible books.
Difference, i didnt buy a license to listen on their platform, i bought the audible book.
This is the crux of buying from brick and mortar Game Stop, Staples, Best Buy, etc at the same price as Steam yet I own my product… not a license to use a game so long as i stay with them.
Soon, Steam will charge a monthly / annual fee… Anyone want to put money on it?
If you mean like GamePass I’m down for it. I love it actually.
GoG is trying to difference itself by not having a front end with DRM that has to be ran to play the game. Plus once you DL and install it, they have no way to remove it since they don’t make you connect to the internet after it is installed.
Not really the same as GamePass, IIRC. Ive not played my XBox in several months though last I recall, I didnt need GamePass to play my XBox games, specifically those discs i have on my shelf.
Am i right or does gamepass now require i pay to play the games i have on my shelf?
I didn’t mean for games you “own” already.
Am i required to pay for gamepass to use the games I believe i own that are on my XBox hard drive / online?
Trying to understand if GamePass is doing essentially the same though one step further than Steam, forced to pay to play games i believe i purchased.
I didnt realize i was paying for a license to use a game on XBox vs owning - is this accurate?
Was about to purchase and it is as it says… purchasing a license to use their game on their platform. Frustrates the heck out of me… First this Steam early access breaks from our traditional roots of Alpha and Beta testers who are giving our time to assist with making a game better followed by Stress tests, etc.
Now? People PAY to be, in essence, BETA testers! The days of MMORPG are fading as my grey hairs continue. Sad, really… pay to test/improve a game before it officially releases…
Yep, as it may be evident, I’m a bit steamed. Disappointed the culture loses the past all for greed and the present have little regard to the corporate shaping of our future MMO opportunity.
/rant - likely to be continued.
Only a matter of time before we are charged to access our Steam accounts. To the few who don’t mind - more power to you. There is a reason they are able to gain this momentum. Supply / Demand.
Any interested OWNING YOUR GAME:
Unfortunately most digital download stuff specifies that you’re paying for a license to play the game, not owning the game itself. I’m pretty sure EA’s EULA also states this. Steam has just started being very up front about it (I’m sure to avoid lawsuits). I am also not happy about it but sadly there’s not much I can do since I do love the convenience of having them all in one place (like Steam). I guess I’m part of the problem. lol
Something I really don’t like though is forcing us to log into a third party account (like Uplay or Origin) to be able to play a single player game. That’s just crappy and I’m sure has more to do with money and the shareholders than anything game or backend related.
With this regard, I am in the same seat as you. This is my favored value of Steam. Thus, when the article shared info I was not aware, that my purchase within Steam is for a license to USE a product I do not own, well… Thus, has me Steamed.
As far as EA EULA , Yes, you own the EA content you purchase:
Your order is an offer to purchase EA Content at the Purchase Price (as defined in Section 3 below) and terms shown. Most offers are accepted and processed by EA within 24 hours, though in some cases EA may take up to 72 hours to process your offer. If your offer is accepted by EA, we will charge your payment method, and send you a purchase confirmation email. Our obligation to deliver your EA Content begins as soon as your order is finalized, and shall be complete when you receive your EA Content. EA will not supply any EA Content to you until your payment method provider has authorized the payment.
Regarding EA content from third parties, i.e. Steam, this is why we are not purchasing the content, and Steam is legally able to sell a license to use their EA content;
EA Content may also be purchased from authorized third parties. When you purchase EA Content from a third party, your purchase is with that third party and not with EA. You must complete that third party’s purchase process and will be bound by that third party’s terms and conditions. Please contact the third party with questions regarding your purchase. The warranty provisions in Section 8 with respect to EA Content still apply.