Update - July 24: Ubisoft has responded to panic over a recent post from its support Twitter seemingly implying that accounts on its PC platform may be deleted, along with their games, due to extended inactivity.
In a statement to IGN, Ubisoft clarified that inactive accounts are deleted in part to protect stored personal information, per the EU's General Data Protection Regulation Production. But this rule isn't absolute. The publisher says it evaluates the gaming activity of an account, how long it's been inactive, and its purchase history.
Importantly, Ubisoft says it has "never deleted accounts that have been inactive for less than four years." To put all fears to rest, it also stressed that "accounts that include purchased PC games are not eligible for deletion."
Original story follows...
Ubisoft accounts have been a requirement to play the company's games for a while now, such as Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, but its policy on inactive accounts has gained attention recently and not for the best of reasons. The policy is most concerning if you've previously made any purchases through your Ubisoft account.
Earlier in the week, a Twitter user shared a screenshot of an email they received from Ubisoft to inform them their Ubisoft account had been "temporarily suspended" due to inactivity. They're given a 30-day period to cancel its closure, after which they'll lose access to their entire Ubisoft library, purchased games and all.
Ubisoft Support responded to the tweet by reiterating the 30-day notice period, and urged anyone affected to follow the link in the email to cancel the account closure. "We certainly do not want you to lose access to your games or account," it said, confirming that if you do want to close your Ubisoft account, or if it gets closed due to inactivity and you haven't seen the email you've been sent, you'll won't be able to play any games you've purchased.
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…July 20, 2023
Players are unhappy with the policy, stating that once you've bought a game you should be able to access it whenever you want, regardless of whether it's a digital or physical purchase. Unfortunately, digital purchases are often described as a "license" to play the game, rather than outright ownership, which makes it easier to block access.
It's worth noting that Ubisoft could be required to close inactive accounts under certain data protection laws, such as the GDPR, though this leads to the question of whether this should affect purchased games or not.
Ubisoft states in its terms and conditions that your account has to be inactive for six months before it suspends your account and notifies you of its upcoming closure. In 2021, it was reported that Ubisoft claimed it doesn't delete accounts that have been inactive for less than four years, somewhat contradicting what's stated in its terms and conditions.
Needless to say, Ubisoft is now facing massive backlash over its inactive account policy, especially with increasing concerns over games preservation and the decline of physical media. If you have an Ubisoft account with purchases tied to it, you might want to login and reset that inactivity counter.
Assassin's Creed Mirage and Star Wars Outlaws are just two of the many upcoming Ubisoft games we know about.
