Ever had a service take away a game?

[gorfias]

I bought Battlefield Hardline for only $4.50! Online download to my Xbox One last June. Great deal! Now when I go to play it, it asks me to insert a disc if I ever bought one. It states that this game is now part of a bundle.

Yay Microsoft. Working on it. But this isn't the first time.

At a minimum, I've also lost Bulletstorm, Bioshock 2 and Drift 3. You'd think I'd have learned by now. Something very wrong at MS.

Your experiences?

 

[Tayh]

Bought Crusader Kings 2 on GamersGate like an idiot.
Then, later, the game was removed because paradox wanted to make it a steam-only game, essentially robbing me of the 40? I spent on it.

 

[gorfias]

Bought Crusader Kings 2 on GamersGate like an idiot.
Then, later, the game was removed because paradox wanted to make it a steam-only game, essentially robbing me of the 40? I spent on it.

Seriously, I have to wonder if you have a cause of action.

Likely Eula agreement says you have to put up with this sort of thing, but there is case law that says no one really reads or agrees to Eula. Something about a woman that abused facebook taunting a girl that had bullied her daughter to the point that the bully committed suicide. She was tried for abusing the use policies of facebook but the court found no one reads these things or should be strictly held to them.

 

[tippy2k2]

I've never directly had them taken away but I suppose you could argue indirectly with all those digital games I've bought over the years on the PS3/Xbox 360 that were not converted over to the PS4/Xbox One (I argue indirectly because if I wanted to keep those games, I'd have just kept my old system but I don't ever go back to old games so it never bothered me).

Probably the closest was Settlers of Catan for the 360. The developers...I think they went under maybe or they stopped supporting it. The game itself still worked with no issues but it was taken off of the marketplace so no one else could buy it again. With a multiplayer game, that's kind of a big deal...

 

[Mcgeezaks]

Kind of, I bought Crysis 3 for PC when it came out, 3 years later or so the anti-piracy program showed to be incompatible with Windows 10 so I couldn't start it. So in the end EA support removed my copy of Crysis 3 and gave me a list of games that I could get as compensation, so I chose Dragon Age: Inquisition.

I had to pirate Crysis 3 in order to play it in the end, which is ironic.

 

[gorfias]

I've never directly had them taken away but I suppose you could argue indirectly with all those digital games I've bought over the years on the PS3/Xbox 360 that were not converted over to the PS4/Xbox One (I argue indirectly because if I wanted to keep those games, I'd have just kept my old system but I don't ever go back to old games so it never bothered me).

Probably the closest was Settlers of Catan for the 360. The developers...I think they went under maybe or they stopped supporting it. The game itself still worked with no issues but it was taken off of the marketplace so no one else could buy it again. With a multiplayer game, that's kind of a big deal...

I've kept my old systems (back to Gamecube and PS2: had to give my Xbox and collection to a friend that needed it much more than I) as gameplay wise, the industry got it right by Gen 6 and with PS+ I get games for PS4, 3, and Vita every month (though they've been crap for 3 months or so! Live too!) I just don't finish them enough to ever want to lose them. Here is to hoping you never lose a PS4 purchase.

Kind of, I bought Crysis 3 for PC when it came out, 3 years later or so the anti-piracy program showed to be incompatible with Windows 10 so I couldn't start it. So in the end EA support removed my copy of Crysis 3 and gave me a list of games that I could get as compensation, so I chose Dragon Age: Inquisition.

I had to pirate Crysis 3 in order to play it in the end, which is ironic.

Ieeee! I'm re-downloading Crysis 3 now to see if it still works on my Windows 10 machine (bought through EA.) I got stuck and stopped playing but always meant to get back to it. When I'm retired. And likely can hardly see the TV anymore

EDIT: Phew! Works.

 

[CaitSeith]

Nothing so far. The closest has been not able to play single-player because the server is down. Is Bizarro World still melting with reality?

 

[gorfias]

Bought Crusader Kings 2 on GamersGate like an idiot.
Then, later, the game was removed because paradox wanted to make it a steam-only game, essentially robbing me of the 40? I spent on it.

Seriously, I have to wonder if you have a cause of action.

Likely Eula agreement says you have to put up with this sort of thing, but there is case law that says no one really reads or agrees to Eula. Something about a woman that abused facebook taunting a girl that had bullied her daughter to the point that the bully committed suicide. She was tried for abusing the use policies of facebook but the court found no one reads these things or should be strictly held to them.

Sometimes I wonder if that's the real reason they're so long, taking advantage of the fact that no sane person has the time or attention span anymore to read all that shit. It's basically there for reference only.

 

[sanquin]

As far as I know, EULA's aren't legally binding anyway. Unless you are able to read it before purchase that is. Would be kind of...really weird if that was possible. "Great, you made your purchase and we have your money! Now here's the contract going with it. It states you will pay us an extra 500 dollars over the next year." "But I never agreed to--" "Too bad, it's in the contract!" Contracts need to be read and signed -before- purchases, not after, to be legally binding.

 

[gorfias]

Sometimes I wonder if that's the real reason they're so long, taking advantage of the fact that no sane person has the time or attention span anymore to read all that shit. It's basically there for reference only.

I saw a class about insurance policies once. The professor was reading some pretty crazy sound stuff (part b in no way is meant to supersede provision 4 of section 7a) and then he shouted, "Gobeldygook!" It's meant to make your eyes glaze over so you aren't focused on what really matters.

As far as I know, EULA's aren't legally binding anyway. Unless you are able to read it before purchase that is. Would be kind of...really weird if that was possible. "Great, you made your purchase and we have your money! Now here's the contract going with it. It states you will pay us an extra 500 dollars over the next year." "But I never agreed to--" "Too bad, it's in the contract!" Contracts need to be read and signed -before- purchases, not after, to be legally binding.

They're enforceable to a point. For instance, now that Battlefield doesn't work anymore, they likely successfully rely on something in the agreement that states changes may effect whether I can play the thing or not. A reasonable person standard is typically enforced. If not, we'd all end up like Kyle in that South Park episode about the Icentapad. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

Never, because I neither use nor support such "services" that allows anyone to take away a game at a whim.

I find such practices abhorrent and disagree most vehemently with those that enable them.

 

[Poetic Nova]

Practically everything bought digitally on my old X360 account. Can't and wont access it anymore. Does that count?

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I feel like this happened with all of my XBLA games...There weren't too-too many but games like TMNT-Arcade, Scott Pilgrim, Castle Crashers, Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2, these are games that I've purchased, played, unlocked achievements for and yet if I want to play them I have to try and convince my 360 to get online. I guess they're not lost but since it's such an uphill battle to get my 360 online it feels like I wasted money on those games.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

Metal Gear Solid Online was a pretty great experience on PS3.

I was into it for a bit when it started, but dropped off when the whole Modern Warfare/Black Ops craze took over online gaming.

And then the next day after I get back into it, they announce that the servers were going to be taken offline...

Now at best, you can play the online with a modded PS3 with some of the hardcore regulars who would go to such lengths just to play.

 

[sanquin]

They're enforceable to a point. For instance, now that Battlefield doesn't work anymore, they likely successfully rely on something in the agreement that states changes may effect whether I can play the thing or not. A reasonable person standard is typically enforced. If not, we'd all end up like Kyle in that South Park episode about the Icentapad. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it.

That because something happened that most people don't seem to realise happened. Companies stopped selling games, and instead started selling 'licenses'. Any purely digital game you have is no longer yours. They turned it into a glorified version of you renting that game from them for the full price of buying a game. You bought a license to play the game, not the game itself.

In other words, because of this they're within their right to cancel the game at any point of their choosing. And I'm still not sure why the general consumer base just accepted this without problems. It started when steam was introduced, and you were forced to have it to play valves games back then. And I was HUGELY resistant to it, even refusing to buy games that were steam only for a while. It's why I'm personally EXTREMELY careful about what game I do or don't 'buy' these days. Nosgoth, an F2P game, is an example like that. I loved it for quite a while because of it's theme and a-symmetrical multiplayer, and thought about buying some stuff for it a few times. But I resisted, and I'm glad I did. As the game is completely gone now.

 

[Drathnoxis]

No, because I only buy physical copies of games.

 

[gorfias]

No, because I only buy physical copies of games.

Even physical games these days "phone home" and if there is no home, the game may not work.

Worse recent case: "Quantum Break" It has a ton of cut scenes that supposedly are streamed onto your computer even if you have a physical copy. When the streaming source shuts down, I'm pretty sure the game will die. It's a rental.

Last physical copy of a game I had that died was "Games for Windows" Bioshock 2.

 

[somonels]

Gamespy shut down a long time ago. And there are some other various games that had their central servers shut down. There are a few games that have been rendered unplayable by patches/expansions some don't have a download option for older versions. And three mmos I care about enough, though two are technically MUDs.

 

[veloper]

No, because I only buy physical copies of games.

Even physical games these days "phone home" and if there is no home, the game may not work.

Worse recent case: "Quantum Break" It has a ton of cut scenes that supposedly are streamed onto your computer even if you have a physical copy. When the streaming source shuts down, I'm pretty sure the game will die. It's a rental.

Last physical copy of a game I had that died was "Games for Windows" Bioshock 2.

It's even worse. I don't buy physical copies, but some time ago someone gave me a new game DVD and the DVD basicly just contained a Steam installer, without actual game data.
Effectively you'd be buying just the sticker with the game key printed on it, glued to the inside of the DVD case nowadays.

 

[gorfias]

It's even worse. I don't buy physical copies, but some time ago someone gave me a new game DVD and the DVD basicly just contained a Steam installer, without actual game data.
Effectively you'd be buying just the sticker with the game key printed on it, glued to the inside of the DVD case nowadays.

I have been shying away from physical copies as I am shockingly lazy and don't want to have to load a disc (for PC anyway). I saw a copy of Doom on sale for $20 and almost picked it up but then thought it would be at that sale price some day on Steam. If there were a way to tell it was the installer of which you write, I would have gotten it.

Steam supposedly will provide a patch to allow their games to function if they ever go belly up. I hope it works.

As for Consoles, its a toss up: 1/2 my library physical, 1/2 digital. I may get Crackdown 3 at their store to play PC and XB1 but after what happened to Battlefield, I'm loath to ever buy from them again..

EDIT: Just got off an online chat with MS about my missing game. The MS representative helpfully explained they have no record of my purchase. Joy.