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Law Firm Attempting To Bring Class Action Against Ubisoft Over Assassin’s Creed Unity
The California law firm of Kabateck Brown Kellner has issued a statement indicating its desire to bring a class-action suit against Ubisoft over Assassin’s Creed Unity. The title experienced numerous problems during and following its launch in November.
The firm alleges that Ubisoft is in violation of the California Business and Professions Code specifically with regard to false advertising. Kabateck Brown Kellner suggests (below) that Assassin’s Creed Unity was put forward as a “fully operational” game, but that because of glitches, multiplayer problems, and more, that wasn’t the case.
It’s alleged that the manufacturer of Assassins Creed Unity [sic], Ubisoft, knowingly and falsely advertised a product in violation of the California Business and Professions Code. Assassins Creed [sic] advertised it was a fully operational game with several features but the product did not meet the manufacturers’ claims.
Hundreds of users report the product was full of programming glitches, failed to operate and shut down in mid-operation. There were widespread reports of users’ experience showing the multiple programming failures. This may have been one of the largest gaming product failures evidenced online in history.
At this time, the firm does not have a lead plaintiff, which is necessary for the suit to move forward. If the group were to find one, Assassin’s Creed Unity would join Battlefield 4 (since dismissed), Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Aliens: Colonial Marines as recent titles that have been litigated over intense consumer dissatisfaction. Ubisoft apologized for the game's performance and offered free DLC to all owners.
Those that purchased the season pass, which the DLC was originally part of, have been offered a free game. As we previously reported though, the terms and conditions of that offer include boilerplate language that prevents those who accept from filing suit.
Sony also found itself in legal trouble recently related to the advertising of the PlayStation Vita. That matter will result in compensation for early adopters of the handheld.
Our Take
It’s becoming more common to see publishers in court over games, hardware, and advertising when things go wrong. While Sega settled its part of the Aliens: Colonial Marines suit, Gearbox is still fighting.
EA managed to avoid its entanglements with angry shareholders, and Sony is still dealing with a lawsuit over the advertised resolution of Killzone: Shadow Fall. Whether anything comes of this matter depends on if it can even get to court first; until that happens, this is simply exploratory.
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