There are a lot of things you shouldn’t separate if you know what’s good for you: a woman and her designer bags; a carpenter and their tools; an atom from itself; and, most importantly, gamers from their games. This last part seems like a no-brainer, but popular video game developer and publisher Ubisoft didn’t get the memo.
In a leaked image on Twitter, it was revealed that Ubisoft will now delete your games and account if you have been inactive for a set period of time. It’s safe to say gamers were not happy about the entire issue and are now up in arms against the game publisher due to this decision. Here’s what went down:
Hey there. We just wanted to chime in that you can avoid the account closure by logging into your account within the 30 days (since receiving the email pictured) and selecting the Cancel Account Closure link contained in the email. We certainly do not want you to lose access to…
— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) July 20, 2023
On Wednesday, 19th July, an image began to circulate on the gaming side of Twitter. It was a screenshot of an email stating that the respective user’s account and all the games they purchased with the account will be deleted. Many thought this was fake, until Ubisoft commented a day later, confirming the email’s veracity. Unfortunately, they did not clarify the situation well enough, resulting in mass panic and realising everyone’s worst fears.
It was confirmed through the comment that Ubisoft will take action against inactive accounts, but what caused the massive outcry was their confirming the idea that they will delete all games associated with the inactive account permanently. A massive backlash from gamers erupted on the original post’s thread, prompting Ubisoft to make an immediate, yet careful, reply to address the situation.
In an email to IGN, Ubisoft elaborated on their account deletion stand. They confirmed that they have been deleting inactive accounts “for many years now” in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on how long companies are permitted to store individual personal information. According to Ubisoft, their policies are “aligned with legal requirements and with the standards of the industry,” and that the move also serves as fraud prevention. Ubisoft stressed that they do not include accounts that have purchased games attached to them, and they also released criteria for account deletion, which go as follows:
- The gaming activity of the account since its creation.
- The duration of inactivity of the account, meaning the last login to the ecosystem (including from Ubisoft games on Steam and other platforms).
- Ubisoft has never deleted accounts that have been inactive for fewer than 4 years.
- The existence of an active subscription tied to the account.
Ubisoft also discussed the initial email notification that sparked the pandemonium, which will be delivered 30 days prior to account deletion as a warning so that users may take appropriate action and resolve the matter. So if you have a Ubisoft account that you haven’t logged in to in years, there’s no need to panic – just check in to your account. You can now rest easy with the knowledge that Ubisoft isn’t annihilating accounts for the fun of it.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, Twitter, Ubisoft, IGN
