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Far Cry 4 Removal From Xbox Live Marketplace Renders Digital Version Temporarily Unplayable
Last night, Far Cry 4 players on Xbox One encountered a problem related to the game’s Marketplace listing. For a number of hours, the game was removed from the digital storefront, causing those that had previously purchased the title unable to use it.
The game has since been restored and the problems resolved, but the Far Cry 4 forums contain a number of detailed accounts. A community manager posting under the name “Mr_Shade” indicated during the incident that Ubisoft was aware and investigating, suggesting that users also contact Microsoft for support.
While this problem is resolved, it does raise questions about the methods by which games are authenticated for access. Delistings aren’t an entirely uncommon occurrence on the Xbox 360 as licenses expire and games are removed from circulation. However, practice has been to continue to allow access to legitimately purchased content, along with the ability even to re-download as needed.
We’ve reached out to both Microsoft and Ubisoft to learn more about how this happened and what it means for digital purchases on Xbox One. We’ll update should we receive a response.
Update: A Ubisoft representative responded to our request for comment, indicating that there are no specific details available regarding this glitch yet. More information will provided if it becomes available.
[Source: Ubisoft via Eurogamer]
Our Take
Errors happen, but this one has us curious because of the potential implications on ownership in a digital environment. It does not seem likely that this is tied to the original “online check-in” plan for the Xbox One, as users have been able to play offline. However, if Microsoft is somehow able to revoke licenses on a title-by-title basis, it suggests that a stricter form of delisting is possible.
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