Players who purchase a new game on Steam will now be reminded that they are only purchasing a license. Valve has provided an update to its sales platform, clarifying the nature of the purchasing process in the purchase screen.
A new message appears on the purchase screen reminding players that “purchasing a digital product on Steam only licenses the product to the purchaser.” So players don’t buy the actual game, they buy a license. It can be withdrawn at any time.
This change comes after the US state of California issued a new law regarding digital purchases. The law stipulates that each online shopping platform must indicate only when users purchase a digital media license. This new law applies to all digital media, such as music, movies, series, e-books and games.
California Assemblywoman Jackie Irwin believes consumer protection when selling digital products is extremely important at a time when retailers are moving away from physical media. The woman wants to get rid of misleading advertisements, as digital selling platforms indicate that all their products are the property of the buyer after purchase.
