Over the weekend, followers of Ubisoft video games underwent a minor panic as a rumor unfold that Ubisoft could be spontaneously deleting inactive Ubisoft accounts, completely destroying digital sport libraries if customers aren’t logging on usually sufficient. Nonetheless, Ubisoft has now clarified that that is false, and customers’ digital sport libraries are protected, even when their accounts are inactive.
The rumors have been kicked off when a tweet circulated displaying an e mail entitled “Ubisoft Account Closure Attributable to Inactivity.” The e-mail instructed that the recipient’s Ubisoft account had been briefly suspended, and could be closed completely in 30 days except the closure was canceled by the account proprietor.
UBISOFT closes your account should you haven’t logged in for a while.
You’ll lose all of your video games bought ceaselessly. pic.twitter.com/exC78bUt93
— AntiDRM? (@PC_enjoyer) July 19, 2023
The e-mail was then confirmed to be respectable by the official Ubisoft Assist Twitter account, which reiterated the given instructions for canceling the pending account closure.
Whereas all of that is respectable, what brought on folks to panic was the context supplied by the unique poster, who claimed that “You’ll lose all of your video games bought ceaselessly.”
In an e mail to IGN, Ubisoft clarified its stance on account deletions. The writer confirmed it has “for a few years now” deleted inactive accounts in accordance with the EU’s Normal Knowledge Safety Regulation (GDPR) on how lengthy corporations are permitted to retailer particular person private data. The corporate claims its insurance policies are “aligned with authorized necessities and with the requirements of the business” and that additionally they function fraud prevention.
Nonetheless, Ubisoft additionally clarified its standards for account deletion, noting that it completely doesn’t embody accounts which have bought video games hooked up to them. The writer it takes the next into consideration:
- The gaming exercise of the account since its creation
- The account’s libraries: accounts that embody bought PC video games aren’t eligible for deletion [emphasis Ubisoft’s]
- The period of inactivity of the account, which means the final login to our ecosystem (together with from Ubisoft video games on Steam and different platforms)
- In follow, as of right this moment, we’ve by no means deleted accounts which have been inactive for lower than 4 years
- The existence of an energetic subscription tied to the account.
Ubisoft added that emails such because the one circulated are despatched to customers 30 days previous to account deletion, and if a consumer tries to log in throughout that window, they’ll obtain a discover and a hyperlink to reactivate the account upon login. You possibly can learn extra about its coverage on its official web site.
So no, if you have not logged into your Ubisoft account in years, you are not on the verge of shedding your sport library. After all, there’s nonetheless lots extra to fret about relating to digital possession of video games or different media and the chance of shedding these libraries at any time, particularly at a time when digital sport releases appear poised to push out bodily any day now, however you possibly can relaxation assured that at the least on this state of affairs, Ubisoft is not simply obliterating accounts willy-nilly.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Received a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.
