Valve had to clarify something after a US state passed strict consumer protection laws.

When you buy a game on Steam, a message appears at the checkout that says “The purchase of a digital product grants a license to the product on Steam. While this has always been the case, we have not seen these warnings before because they have only been visible on the terms of service page (hidden away on a page not normally visited by the public).

California Governor Gavin Newson recently signed a law that prohibits digital storefronts from using the term “buy” unless they clearly warn customers that they are not buying the game itself, for example, but only paying for its license, and that license could expire at any moment!

“As retailers continue to move away from selling physical media, the need for consumer protections when purchasing digital media has become increasingly important,” said California Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin in a statement. Although the consumer protection laws currently only apply to California, Valve is trying to stay ahead of the curve by raising its profile while the debate over who actually owns digital products rages on.

The controversy is no coincidence: in April, Ubisoft made the first part of The Crew completely unplayable because it required constant server connections. This led many to question whether it was fair that they had paid full price (€60) for a game to which they had lost access. So Ubisoft Ivory Tower, the studio behind The Crew, has taken action, with Senior Creative Director Stéphane Beley announcing that The Crew 2 will be available for offline play in the future, as will The Crew Motorfest. (So they’re going to get rid of Denuvo, too? Because DRM needs to call home.)

Valve’s move makes sense for this reason.

Source: VGC