https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/steams-new-disclaimer-reminds-everyone-that-you-dont-actually-own-your-games-gog-moves-in-for-the-killshot-its-offline-installers-cannot-be-taken-away-from-you/ Skip to main content (*) ( ) Open menu Close menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES [ ] Search Search PC Gamer [ ] Subscribe US Edition flag of US flag of UK UK flag of US US flag of Canada Canada flag of Australia Australia * * Games * Hardware * Industry * News * Reviews * Podcast * Forum * More + PC Gaming Show + Software + Movies & TV + Coupons + Magazine + Newsletter + Community guidelines + Affiliate links + Meet the team + About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine Subscription PC Gamer Magazine Subscription Why subscribe? * Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag * Try a single issue or save on a subscription * Issues delivered straight to your door or device From$32.49 View Popular * October Prime Day * Deadlock * Diablo 4 * Satisfactory * Helldivers 2 * Starfield 1. Gaming Industry Steam's new disclaimer reminds everyone that you don't actually own your games, GOG moves in for the killshot: Its offline installers 'cannot be taken away from you' News By Andy Chalk published 11 October 2024 The concept of a "digital license" isn't new, but there's no pretending you didn't know about it anymore. * * * * * * * * Comments When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. Steam logo (Image credit: Valve) Steam has apparently made a little change to its shopping cart page in the form of a new message that very clearly lays out to one and all that you're not buying a game--you're buying a license. I say the message is "apparently" new because I can't swear it hasn't been there for days, weeks, or maybe even months already. But it's definitely there now, and was only noticed by the internet at large within the past 24 hours. Given the absence of scathing "you fool, you absolute buffoon" messages on Reddit, though, I strongly suspect it is indeed new. The message itself is very brief: "A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam." A link to the full Steam Subscriber Agreement is also provided. The change follows on the heels of Valve modifying its subscriber agreement last month to remove a forced arbitration clause. Steam checkout page showing new "purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam" message. (Image credit: Valve) I added the red so you wouldn't miss it. While the message may be new, the reality behind it is not. For practical purposes, all you need to do is forget your Steam password to get a real (if hopefully temporary) sense of just how much you "own" your games; if you really want to take the plunge, you could engage in some public, gross violation of Steam rules (repeatedly, if necessary) to have your account, and all "your" games taken away entirely. You can't bequeath your Steam library to anyone upon your unfortunate passing either, which of course you would be able to if you really owned its contents. Conversations about whether or not anyone actually "owns" their games or other digital content have been going on for years: This Hacker News forum thread from 2012, for instance, warns users to read the Steam subscriber agreement carefully because software purchased through the storefront is licensed, not owned. "As nice as Steam is to use, being able to download software on any computer in a fairly simplistic manner and to get reduced prices from time to time, I'm not convinced that giving up the right to own things you purchase is a fair price for that convenience," just2n wrote in a message that feels like it came from about 100 years ago. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. So if the absence of ownership on Steam isn't new, why the new message? My assumption is that it arises from recent pushback against game publishers ending support for online games, rendering them inoperable, and in some cases revoking the licenses to those games outright. That too is nothing particularly new, but Ubisoft broke the camel's back earlier this year when it ended services for The Crew and stripped the license from people who had purchased it. That sparked a "Stop Killing Games" consumer campaign and, more pointedly, a new California law that requires retailers to warn consumers that the digital games they buy can be taken away at any time--as this message does. The law only applies in California but other states and countries could (and, I would guess, will) embrace similar laws of their own. Given that, and the hassles of complying with regulations on a granular, state-by-state basis, it makes sense that Valve would take the simplest approach here: Blast this message to everyone, every time, and be done with it. It won't do anything to keep your games from being taken away from you, but as I noted when the California law was signed into being, it does provide a layer of legal cover for the companies taking them. And given the great convenience of Steam, isn't that all that really matters? Never missing an opportunity to weigh in on such matters, GOG took a moment to mull a checkout message of its own. Since checkout banners are trending, we're thinking of putting one up ourselves. Thoughts on this one? (Image credit: GOG (Twitter)) Andy Chalk Andy Chalk Social Links Navigation Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill. More about gaming industry Archive.org, a donation driven non-profit that digitizes out-of-copyright books at U of T, has such little funding that they will have to lay off 2/3 of the 35-strong staff by August 12 unless more money comes in. July 8, 2011 Change your passwords: Attackers claim a 'catastrophic security breach' of the Internet Archive, with 31 million emails and hashed passwords captured PC Gamer magazine 402 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 PC Gamer magazine's new issue is on sale now: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Latest Influencer Jack Doherty stands next to the wreck of his McLaren sports car. 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