Over the weekend, fans of Ubisoft games underwent a minor panic as a rumor spread that Ubisoft might be spontaneously deleting inactive Ubisoft accounts, permanently destroying digital game libraries if users aren’t logging on often enough. However, Ubisoft has now clarified that this is false, and users’ digital game libraries are safe, even if their accounts are inactive.
The rumors were kicked off when a tweet circulated showing an email entitled “Ubisoft Account Closure Due to Inactivity.” The email instructed that the recipient’s Ubisoft account had been temporarily suspended, and would be closed permanently in 30 days unless the closure was canceled by the account owner.
UBISOFT closes your account if you haven’t logged in for some time.
You will lose all your games purchased forever. pic.twitter.com/exC78bUt93
— AntiDRM🔴 (@PC_enjoyer) July 19, 2023
The email was then confirmed to be legitimate by the official Ubisoft Support Twitter account, which reiterated the given instructions for canceling the pending account closure.
While all of this is legitimate, what caused people to panic was the context offered by the original poster, who claimed that “You will lose all your games purchased forever.”
In an email to IGN, Ubisoft clarified its stance on account deletions. The publisher confirmed it has “for many years now” deleted inactive accounts in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on how long companies are permitted to store individual personal information. The company claims its policies are “aligned with legal requirements and with the standards of the industry” and that they also serve as fraud prevention.
However, Ubisoft also clarified its criteria for account deletion, noting that it absolutely does not include accounts that have purchased games attached to them. The publisher it takes the following into account:
- The gaming activity of the account since its creation
- The account’s libraries: accounts that include purchased PC games are not eligible for deletion [emphasis Ubisoft’s]
- The duration of inactivity of the account, meaning the last login to our ecosystem (including from Ubisoft games on Steam and other platforms)
- In practice, as of today, we have never deleted accounts that have been inactive for less than 4 years
- The existence of an active subscription tied to the account.
Ubisoft added that emails such as the one circulated are sent to users 30 days prior to account deletion, and if a user tries to log in during that window, they will receive a notice and a link to reactivate the account upon login. You can read more about its policy on its official website.
So no, if you haven’t logged into your Ubisoft account in years, you’re not on the verge of losing your game library. Of course, there’s still plenty more to worry about regarding digital ownership of games or other media and the risk of losing those libraries at any time, especially at a time when digital game releases seem poised to push out physical any day now, but you can rest assured that at least in this situation, Ubisoft isn’t just obliterating accounts willy-nilly.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
