There was a time when buying a game meant something. You saved up, went to the store, grabbed that box off the shelf, and walked out knowing you owned it. No account needed. No launcher. No 20-page EULA. You could play it years later, pass it down, lend it to a friend, or just keep it on your shelf like a trophy. The disc was yours, the memories were yours, and no one could take that away.
Now Ubisoft says you should destroy it.
Buried in Ubisoft’s latest End User License Agreement - the one you have to accept to play any of their games or use Ubisoft Connect - is a line that feels like something out of a bad joke: “Upon termination for any reason, You must immediately uninstall the Product and destroy all copies of the Product in Your possession.”
Ubisoft Wants You to Destroy Your Games
Seriously. If they revoke your license - and they can do that for basically any reason - they expect you to delete the game and physically destroy every copy you have. Even if it’s a disc. Even if you paid for it. Even if it’s been sitting on your shelf since 2014.
Now, no one’s saying Ubisoft is going to show up at your door with a sledgehammer. This is probably just legal boilerplate meant to cover their bases. But it doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. It’s a perfect example of how far we’ve strayed from real ownership in gaming - and how little control players actually have anymore.
Back in the day, if a company went under, your games still worked. Your Dreamcast still ran Jet Set Radio. Your old PC still played Myst. It didn’t matter if the publisher vanished - what you bought was yours. That’s what made it special.
Today? If Ubisoft or another big publisher decides they’re done supporting a game, or just doesn’t like something about your account, they can yank your access. And now, they’re saying that includes your physical copies too.
Ubisoft Wants You to Destroy Your Games
It’s frustrating, but it’s not surprising. Ubisoft hasn’t exactly been winning fans lately. Skull and Bones finally launched this year and immediately capsized. Star Wars Outlaws had the Star Wars name but not the staying power. And Assassin’s Creed Shadows tried to be everything at once and ended up being just ok at all of it.
And while Ubisoft takes the heat here, they’re not alone. Xbox has quietly removed dozens of games from its digital store, many with no warning. Always-online Digital Rights Management (DRM) is creeping into single-player titles. Publishers across the board are turning what used to be a straightforward purchase into a fragile license that can vanish at any time.
This isn’t just about a weird EULA clause. It’s about what we’ve lost. Gaming used to be permanent. Tangible. Something you could hold, keep, and come back to. Now it’s tied to accounts, servers, and the fine print.
No, you probably don’t need to smash your copy of Watch Dogs. But the fact that Ubisoft thinks it can tell you to? That’s the part worth smashing.
