The use of physical media has certainly dwindled over the years. More and more consumers are taking their content digitally, meaning subscription services or outright purchases from online sources. This includes video games, as players can build up a substantial digital library rather than filling their shelves with actual games. Now, there are pros and cons for both digital and physical. However, one con that makes fans frustrated with digital games is that you don’t necessarily own them. A new update on Steam is making sure you’re aware of this.
Digital titles can be removed without too much notice. Various license deals in place make it impossible to continue selling some games. We’ve seen it countless times before, where a game is pulled from the digital marketplaces due to expired license deals. Sometimes, these games are brought back from either an extended licensing deal or certain content featured is scrubbed from the game. Other times, the games are outright gone for good. You might even find servers taken down, which makes it impossible for the games to run or show up in your digital libraries.
It wasn’t too long ago that a new California law came into fruition. This law essentially would require digital stores to alert consumers that they are purchasing a license to view the content rather than outright buying it. That law doesn’t come into effect until next year, but it seems like Valve is already getting ahead of the game on its Steam marketplace.
Thanks to a report from Engadget, we’re discovering today that Valve has a new update on its Steam digital marketplace. Now, when consumers go to checkout, they are greeted with a message alerting them that they are purchasing a license for the game. Of course, we should see a lot more of these messages for every digital storefront, not just video game-related ones, next year. It could even prompt more consumers to go the physical route so that they can ensure the content they are purchasing will remain with them.
