How did The Crew shutdown turn into a $2 million settlement?
Ubisoft first announced that it would delist The Crew and switch off its servers; the online-only game then stopped operating, and users reported that their account licences had been revoked. Cassell and Liu responded with a proposed federal class action. Although that federal case was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, the claims were refiled in California, where a court preliminarily approved a proposed $2 million settlement. Class members had until June 11, 2026 to submit claims.
Trace the chain
Lost access
- 1The Crew is delistedAnnouncement
Ubisoft delists The Crew and sets a date to switch off its servers
Ubisoft removed the 2014 open-world racing game from digital storefronts and said every server would go dark on 31 March 2024, blaming server infrastructure and licensing constraints. The game had no offline mode, so the shutdown would make it unplayable for everyone who had bought it.
Eurogamer ·
The game will remain playable until 31st March 2024, after which all servers will be shut down across all platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Amazon Luna, and Ubisoft+. "We understand this may be…
Why it matters here. Ubisoft’s planned server shutdown meant the online-only game depended on servers that were about to be switched off, so The Crew ceased operating.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
- 2The game stops workingUpdate
The Crew becomes inoperable after Ubisoft's server shutdown
The online-only game The Crew stopped operating on April 1. The game required Ubisoft servers to operate.
Engadget ·
Ubisoft's online-only racing game The Crew stopped being operable on April 1.
Why it matters here. The shutdown prompted purchasers to examine their remaining account access, so users reported that Ubisoft had revoked their licences.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
- 3Account licences disappearReport
Players report Ubisoft revoked The Crew licences from accounts
Users reported that Ubisoft revoked licences to access The Crew from Ubisoft Connect accounts. The report described the removal as occurring after the game became inoperable.
Engadget ·
They say that the company actually reached into Ubisoft Connect accounts and revoked the license to access the game, according to reports by Game Rant and others.
Why it matters here. Reported licence revocations supplied the access dispute that Cassell and Liu put into a proposed federal class action.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
Cassell litigation
- 4Cassell lawsuit is filedLegal
Cassell and Liu file federal proposed class action against Ubisoft
Matthew Cassell and Alan Liu filed Cassell v. Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. in the Eastern District of California, the first suit to test the ownership claim. It alleged Ubisoft had misled buyers of The Crew into thinking they were getting ownership rights when they received only a limited licence.
Dr. Docket/PACER docket record ·
Date Filed Nov 4, 2024.
Why it matters here. The federal complaint began the Cassell litigation, which was later voluntarily dismissed without prejudice.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
- 6Settlement wins approvalLegal
Ubisoft settles the The Crew ownership case for $2 million
The Sacramento County Superior Court preliminarily approved a settlement of the refiled Cassell action. The fund totals $2,000,000, and class members elect either $7 in cash or $15 in Ubisoft store credit.
Crew Game Settlement administrator ·
The Court in charge of this action has preliminarily approved the Settlement as fair, reasonable, and adequate, and must decide whether to give final approval to the Settlement.
Why it matters here. The court's preliminary approval created the proposed $2 million fund and claim options, giving class members until June 11, 2026 to submit claims.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
- 7Claims closeLegal
Claims close in the The Crew settlement
Class members had until 11 June 2026 to file a claim. Cassell, Liu and Cerrato had alleged that Ubisoft misled buyers into believing they were paying for ownership of The Crew when they were getting a limited licence; Judge Jill H. Talley of the Sacramento County Superior Court set the fairness hearing for 13 November 2026.
Cassell v. Ubisoft settlement notice ·
Plaintiffs Matthew Cassell, Alan Liu, and Angel Cerrato allege that Ubisoft misled consumers into believing that when they purchased Ubisoft's video game The Crew, consumers were paying for ownership rights over The…
Why it matters here. After the June 11 claims deadline, the preliminarily approved settlement still awaited the Sacramento County Superior Court's November 13, 2026 fairness hearing.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
What pushes back
- 5Federal case is dismissed
Cassell plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss federal action
Matthew Cassell, Angel Cerrato, and Alan Liu filed a notice voluntarily dismissing the federal action without prejudice. The notice was filed before a ruling on Ubisoft's amended-complaint dismissal motion.
Dr. Docket/PACER docket record ·
NOTICE of VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL without prejudice by Matthew Cassell, Angel Cerrato, Alan Liu.
What it pushes against. The without-prejudice dismissal did not produce a final resolution, leaving the dispute to proceed in the refiled Cassell action that reached a proposed settlement.
Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
Changes to this chain
- Proposal #120 accepted (publish:gta-6-release): answer: Ubisoft first announced that it would delist The Crew and switch off its servers; the online-only game then stopped operating, and users reported that their account licences had been revoked. Cassell and Liu responded with a proposed federal class action. Although that federal case was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, the claims were refiled in California, where a court preliminarily approved a proposed $2 million settlement. Class members had until June 11, 2026 to submit claims.
- Proposal #81 accepted (verify:v4): why of step 6 -> The court's preliminary approval created the proposed $2 million fund and claim options, giving class members until June 11, 2026 to submit claims.; why of step 7 -> After the June 11 claims deadline, the preliminarily approved settlement still awaited the Sacramento County Superior Court's November 13, 2026 fairness hearing.
- Proposal #78 rejected (verify:v3)
- Step 7 why edited by the editor: A closed claims window is not a completed payout
- Added digital-game-ownership#1024 as the closing step: the answer gave a claims deadline that no step carried (verify gap, proposal #70).
- Proposal #70 accepted (verify:v1): why of step 6 -> The Sacramento County Superior Court's preliminary approval established a proposed $2 million settlement fund, under which class members could elect $7 cash or $15 in Ubisoft store credit.
Timelines in this chain
- Do You Own Your Games? The Crew, AB 2426 and the Buy-Button Lawsuits
- The Road to PlayStation 6: PS5 Pro, Project Amethyst, Two Price Hikes and the Memory Crunch
- Nintendo Switch 2: From the Successor Tease to a Record Launch, 23 Million Units and the $499.99 Price
- Grand Theft Auto VI: From 'Well Underway' to Two Delays, the $79.99 Price and the November 19 Launch
A chain is written by the editor from entries already published on the timelines above, each of which was read against its source before publication. The chain changes when those entries do. Data and terms.