Ubisoft fans can rest easy knowing that the publisher will not delete any game libraries if they haven’t logged on for a while. After its recent worrying comments about deleting inactive accounts, its fanbase went into a state of pure panic. Due to the mass backlash, the publisher has clarified that it will only delete accounts that have no games purchased through them.
This past weekend, rumors circulated regarding Ubisoft deleting inactive accounts and entire digital libraries of users who don’t usually log in, and naturally, it sent the publisher’s entire fandom into chaos. The publisher has finally made an official statement addressing the news, assuring its fans that nothing is going to happen to their digital game libraries, even if they haven’t been active.
How the Ubisoft Rumors Started
Like all modern rumors, the misleading news was revealed on Twitter, which showed an email called “Ubisoft Account Closure Due to Inactivity.” The subject matter of the shared email contained Ubisoft temporarily suspending a user’s account, leading to permanent closure after a month unless the account user responded and cancelled the deletion. You can check out the original tweet below:
To make matters worse, the official Twitter account of Ubisoft Support confirmed that the email was actually authentic and proceeded to restate the previously mentioned account closure cancellation instructions.
Why Ubisoft Fans Started to Panic
If the official Ubisoft accounts email wasn’t enough, the caption with the tweeted screenshot read, “You will lose all your games purchased forever,” and that is what really affected the publisher’s fans.
Fortunately, Ubisoft has finally clarified what exactly “account deletion” means. The publisher claimed that it has been deleting inactive accounts while following the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GFPR) for “years now,” which basically focuses on how long companies can legally keep people’s personal data. It continued with a statement that the company’s policies have always followed “legal requirements” and “the standards of the industry,” which also helps with preventing digital fraud.
Furthermore, it says that it never deletes accounts that have purchased any games on the service in the past. While deciding which accounts to delete, the publisher analyses the following aspects:
- The account’s overall gaming activity
- The account’s libraries (excluding those accounts that have bought PC games)
- The account’s inactivity duration with the Ubisoft store or its titles (including games on other platforms like Steam)
- The account’s active subscriptions
The publisher also claimed that, to date, it has never removed accounts with an activity duration of less than four years.
Additionally, the publisher stated that emails like the one above are actually sent out to users around a month before their account is going to get deleted, and those users have the option of receiving a notice and reactivation link if they try logging in during this duration. Check out the publisher’s website to read their complete policy.
Thus, fans can rejoice because even if you haven’t used your account in a while, you won’t randomly lose all of your games. Digital media has always been risky, especially because you can lose your libraries any day, but it is the future, as it seems to be surely pushing physical media away. However, for now, it’s nice to know that the publisher isn’t just randomly removing people’s accounts and games.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
