Ubisoft Clarifies That It Won’t Delete Inactive Accounts With Purchased Games

An email screenshot sent gamers into panic mode during the weekend, in which Ubisoft claimed that it would delete inactive accounts.

Written by Rahul Chettiyar, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 25 July 2023 13:20 IST

Ubisoft Clarifies That It Won’t Delete Inactive Accounts With Purchased Games

Photo Credit: Ubisoft

Ubisoft is also reportedly planning an Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag remake

Highlights

Ubisoft’s account deletion process is in compliance with the EU’s GDPR
Users have a 30-day period to cancel the Ubisoft account deletion
Logging into connected non-Ubisoft accounts like Steam also prevents it

Ubisoft confirmed that it won't be deleting ‘inactive' accounts, leading to the permanent deletion of digitally purchased games. Over the weekend, a screenshot circulated on Twitter — now, X — showing an email, which suggested that Ubisoft had temporarily suspended a user's UPlay account for being inactive for long periods and would be closing it permanently within the next 30 days unless the user cancelled it. Included in the email was a link to cancel the closure, which normally sounds like a red flag, but the official Ubisoft Support team replied confirming that the email was legitimate and that users could avoid account closures by logging into their accounts within 30 days of receiving the email. Even its terms of service claim that Ubisoft accounts could be terminated if they have been inactive for longer than six months.

In a statement to IGN, however, Ubisoft has now confirmed that it has deleted several inactive accounts ‘for many years now,' in accordance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to limit how long a company is allowed to retain user information. The company claims that ‘as of today,' it has never deleted accounts that have been inactive for less than four years, adding that logging into connected non-Ubisoft platforms like Steam can also prevent the account from deletion. PC gamers generally prefer having most, if not all their games on Steam, which also serves as a spot for them to play Ubisoft games, despite the additional step required to connect it to the UPlay/ Ubisoft Connect app. What caused people to panic, however, was the notion of permanently losing access to their purchased titles and in-game items, which the company has now clarified, won't be affected.

Hey there. We just wanted to chime in that you can avoid the account closure by logging into your account within the 30 days (since receiving the email pictured) and selecting the Cancel Account Closure link contained in the email. We certainly do not want you to lose access to…
— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) July 20, 2023

“In any case, before the deletion is permanent, three emails are sent to the player over a 30-day period offering to restore their account,” the statement reads. “In addition, if the user tries to log in during the 30-day window, they will automatically receive a warning and a link to reactivate their account.” It would still be a good idea for Ubisoft to update its terms of service, which at the time of writing, still mentions the six months period. The criteria also take into account the total gaming activity since the Ubisoft account was created, which is equal to the hours one spent playing the game on Steam.

Elsewhere, reports from late June stated that Ubisoft was planning to remake 2013's Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, which upon the initial launch, traded the stealth and assassinations formula for a more swashbuckling pirate story and naval warfare at its core. A team at Ubisoft Singapore, which has been long involved in Assassin's Creed's ocean tech, is heavily involved in the remake, which itself is in early stages and won't be out until a ‘few years.' Meanwhile, its other highly awaited pirate game Skull and Bones has been long stuck in development hell, showing yet another reveal trailer during the Ubisoft Forward event, held last month. A closed beta for the same is scheduled to run from August 25–28.

What are the most exciting titles that gamers can look forward to in 2023? We discuss some of our favourites on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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