Steam reveals shopping cart message

The idea of ​​“buying a game” can bring the feeling that it is yours, and that this will never change. But in reality, things don’t work that way. And Steam has already started to make this clearer to its consumers.

The gaming platform now starts to display a new notification in the shopping cart that informs that purchases made in the virtual store do not guarantee ownership of the game but rather a license to use it. This change appears to be an attempt by Valve to get ahead of new California legislation that will take effect next year, requiring companies to be transparent regarding ownership of digital content.

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Steam makes it clear that you are purchasing a license, not ownership

Now, when users add items to their shopping cart on Steam and before completing their purchase, a warning appears in the bottom right corner of the screen: “Purchasing a digital product grants a license to the product on Steam.”

The change appears to have been recent, and below it is still possible to open the Steam Subscription Agreement page. In a paragraph of the agreement they state that:

“Content and Services are licensed, not sold. Your license does not convey any title or ownership to the Content or Services. To use the Content and Services, you must have a Steam Account and may be required to run the Steam client and maintain an Internet connection.”

This action by Steam comes at a time when there is greater pressure on technology companies to be clearer regarding consumer rights over digital content.

Although many people believe they are “buying” a game or other type of media, in reality, the transaction typically only involves granting a license to use it. This means that, in some situations, companies can revoke access to content, as demonstrated in recent cases such as Ubisoft.

The new California law and the case with Ubisoft

Momentum for this shift in digital platforms gained momentum with the passage of California’s new law, AB 2426, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom last month. The law requires digital marketplaces to make it clear that, in many transactions, consumers are only purchasing an access license, not permanent ownership of the content.

The legislation does not only apply to games, but also to other types of media such as music, films, TV shows and ebooks sold by digital stores, but does not affect permanent offline downloads.

The new law was drafted in response to controversial situations, such as the case of Ubisoft, which excluded the game The Crew from players’ libraries after the game servers close.

This incident ended up generating a lot of criticism about consumers’ lack of control over the digital products they “purchased”, highlighting the fact that access can be revoked without prior notice, even if the customer has paid for it.

Making things clearer

With the law coming into force in 2024, companies that do not comply with the requirements could face penalties for false advertising if they do not clearly explain the limitations of a digital purchase.

This type of transparency is important and can be key to ensuring that all consumers understand that when purchasing a game they may still have access to that game restricted or even revoked, depending on the circumstances.

Even though the new regulation will have a direct impact on California’s digital market, it is very likely that its influence will end up spreading globally. Proof of this is that Steam appears to have made the change to the store in several countries, including Brazil.

It is now very likely that other companies in the digital entertainment sector will follow suit, bringing these practices more transparent to avoid legal conflicts and increase consumer trust.

The difference between having a license and owning the game

In addition to transparency for consumers, they also need to understand what the difference is between buying a license and ownership of a game and what that entails.

In practice, if you purchase a game offline, it will rarely be deleted from your account. However, with online games that require servers, the story can be different. If the company decides to close these servers for any reason, it will no longer be possible to access the game, which means it can simply be deleted, as happened with The Crew.

In these cases, companies generally refund game purchases made in a more recent period, but this depends on each company’s decision. This type of situation is at the heart of consumers’ concerns, and legislation such as AB 2426 aims to answer these questions in a clearer and more direct way.