Steam now warns players they’re only buying a license to a game at checkout

Steam now warns players that they are only buying a license to play a game when checking out.

In an update to the checkout process of the popular digital storefront, a message now appears reading, “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”

While this has always been the case, such warnings have previously been reserved for terms and conditions pages.

This comes not long after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new bill that will forbid digital storefronts from using terms like “buy,” unless customers are explicitly warned that they are paying for a license to a game which may expire at any time.

“As retailers continue to pivot away from selling physical media, the need for consumer protections on the purchase of digital media has become increasingly more important,” California Assembly member Jacqui Irwin said in a statement.

While these protections currently only apply in California, it would appear that Valve is getting ahead of similar rulings elsewhere as the debate over the ownership of digital goods continues.

Several high-profile companies have taken games entirely offline in recent years, leading many players to question the legality of removing access to games that people have paid for.

In April, Ubisoft took The Crew offline, a year after delisting the game. Earlier this month developer Ivory Tower acknowledged consumer complaints over the handling of The Crew.

“We want to acknowledge that some of you voiced concern about the access to The Crew games,” said Stéphane Beley, senior creative director of the franchise at Ivory Tower.

“Today, we want to express our commitment to the future of The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest. We are currently exploring different solutions, and can confirm an offline mode to ensure long-term access to both titles.”