New Movement At Steam Reveals Players Are Purchasing Game Licenses, Not Granted For Ownership

For PC users, Steam is the pinnacle for gaming on the platform. Operating for roughly two decades, the storefront has remained the leading digital retailer for PC gaming. However, the domain’s approach to include ownership to users has remained a mixed bag unlike those residing on traditional consoles. One report revealed that any effort to pass down your library – even in an official will – is not allowed under Steam’s guidelines.

Additionally, refunds on the platform remain airtight as well. There are exceptions to this such as the movement behind Helldivers 2 when PlayStation required a PlayStation Network to access their purchase. Even more, Steam Families also brought more transparency enabling users to game share their libraries as well.

However, it is now discovered that the games you actually purchase on Steam are not yours. More simply, you acquire a license for the game and does not deem you in ownership of the game. This comes from a new disclaimer on Steam as well as the newly updated Steam Subscriber Agreement page.

Steam and your Subscription(s) require the download and installation of Content and Services onto your computer. Valve hereby grants, and you accept, a non-exclusive license and right, to use the Content and Services for your personal, non-commercial use (except where commercial use is expressly allowed herein or in the applicable Subscription Terms).

This license ends upon termination of (a) this Agreement or (b) a Subscription that includes the license. The Content and Services are licensed, not sold. Your license confers no title or ownership in the Content and Services. To make use of the Content and Services, you must have a Steam Account and you may be required to be running the Steam client and maintaining a connection to the Internet.

What appears to be the notion to Valve’s decision display this now is the bill passed by California Governor Gavin Newson – California Assembly Bill 2426. The article states that retailers – predominantly through digital domains – must clarify whether the product you purchase are in the user’s ownership. So in response, the disclosure was posted by Valve.

Although this is ground shaking news for many users online, it was theoretically known by others familiar with how Steam operates. In a response post on X, SteamDB clarified this is unchanged from prior to the announcement. “You never owned games on Steam, it was always a license,” the website wrote in the post.

However, that does not apply to other retailers & storefronts. In another post on X, this time from CD Projekt Red’s GOG.com, users are granted offline access to their purchases. “A purchase of a digital product on GOG grants you Offline Installers, which cannot be taken away from you,” the disclosure shared reads.

Are you surprised by this turnout from Valve?

Source: Valve