Ubisoft Faces Privacy Complaint for Collecting Player Data in Offline Games

It seems that Ubisoft and controversy have become synonymous lately.

French video game developer and publisher is in hot water after privacy advocates filed a formal complaint against them for forcing players to stay online even when playing games by themselves. The complaint claims Ubisoft is collecting personal data without permission, which might break European privacy laws.

The complaint was filed by noyb, a European privacy group, with Austria's data protection authority.

The group argues that Ubisoft makes gamers connect to the internet and log into their Ubisoft accounts unnecessarily when playing single-player games that don't involve other people.

According to the complaint, Ubisoft isn't just collecting basic information like when a game starts and ends. A player who examined what was happening with the game "Far Cry Primal" discovered their computer was connecting to outside servers 150 times in just ten minutes. This included sending data to companies like Google and Amazon.

"Imagine if the Monopoly man sat at your table and took notes every time you wanted to play a board game with your family or friends. Well, that's the reality of video games," said Joakim Söderberg, a lawyer at noyb.

The privacy group claims that Ubisoft is collecting login information and browsing data without clearly asking for permission first. This would violate the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires companies to get consent before collecting certain types of personal data.

When the player questioned why they needed to be online for a single-player game, Ubisoft reportedly couldn't provide a good explanation. The company claimed they needed to verify purchases, but noyb pointed out that Steam (the platform where the game was bought) already handles that verification.

What makes this situation more suspicious is that there is actually a way to play "Far Cry Primal" offline, suggesting that the online requirement isn't truly necessary.

Ubisoft has responded to local media inquiries, stating that connecting to the internet is only required when first opening their games. "Our solo games can then be played offline," the company said, adding that data collected during online play "is used to improve game performance."

Noyb is asking regulators to declare that Ubisoft is collecting data without a valid reason, force the company to delete all personal data collected without proper consent, and fine Ubisoft €92 million (about $105 million).

This isn't the first time a gaming company has faced backlash over data collection. Last year, Sony had to change course after players objected to being forced to link their accounts to PlayStation Network when playing "Helldivers 2" on PC.

Ubisoft is already dealing with financial challenges after multiple flops like XDefiant, Star Wars Outlaws, and Lost Crown, having recently announced a major restructuring. The company has nearly 20,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues exceeding $2.5 billion.