A new downside to digital downloads

[jay_red]

Digital game downloads is always a hot topic around here I have noticed, with arguments for both sides. One of the main concerns is always about being able to purchase games after they are no longer supported, essentially making the future of collecting games obsolete. But I found this story on IGN and it raises a new issue that I had never even thought of when considering downloadable games.

http://wireless.ign.com/articles/122/1224184p1.html

This would be a very big issue if it were to spread to other games for whatever reason (I understand this is just a IOS downloadable title, and would not likely happen to others) and could cause quite the uproar, having a game taken away that you paid for, with no valid reason or promise of reimbursement. Basically anyone that purchased this got themselves a nice $5 dollar rental.

[J T]

I've never seen anything like this before, even when games have gone away. For example, I own Obscure from gog.com. You cannot purchase Obscure there anymore, but as someone who bought it while it was available, I still have access to the game and can redownload it whenever I want.

I know the same thing happens to people with games on Steam that were taken down for some reason or another.

It sounds like someone hasn't handled things well for existing customers with this Rock Band game though. I wonder if it has something to do with expired licensing of popular music. If that's the case, this could be something to worry about for any game that uses licensed tunes for soundtracks. I know licensing issues sometimes prevent retro games from being re-released.

[Protronrob]

The lack of support down the line is a big reason why Ive been shying away from any new games, I mean what is the point of buying some game if they are just going to shut down the servers in two years and make the game unplayable because its one of those Always On piracy prevention things

[gtmtnbiker]

It would be helpful if you posted the snippet of relevant text that you're commenting on instead of forcing people to click and read the article.

For those who haven't read the article, the issue is that Rock Band iOS users are getting this popup:




This was just posted on EA's help site:
https://help.ea.com/article/will-roc...mobile-devices

WILL ROCK BAND NO LONGER BE AVAILABLE ON MOBILE DEVICES?
I've heard ROCK BAND will not be available after May 31. Is this true?
Yes, we will be suspending support of ROCK BAND after May 31 and focusing resources on other EA titles. We thank everyone for playing ROCK BAND, and we encourage you to explore some of the other exciting titles in our mobile line-up.

Can I still play ROCK BAND if I've already downloaded it?
The ROCK BAND servers will be live through May 31, 2012. If you have already downloaded the game, you can continue to play until then.

[Xeogred]

Pretty sure some DLC's out there have been taken away. Can't forget servers going down too so no more online for some stuff.

Definitely some downsides to the digital era.

[StuntDouble]

I wonder if I'm the only one that's worried this will be the last generation of consoles that allow you to own a physical copy of the game..

[gtmtnbiker]

I wonder if I'm the only one that's worried this will be the last generation of consoles that allow you to own a physical copy of the game..

I'm not worried at all. I have gladly bought tons of iOS apps, Dsiware, Wiiware, 3DS stuff without physical media.

Most of my PC software is in electronic form without any physical media.

Being able to display stuff on a shelf is overrated in my opinion. Just another dust collector.

[noiseredux]

this is definitely odd. Like JT said, when Ubisoft's license for Turtles In Time expired and they took Re-Shelled down off XBLA and PSN, all of us who had bought it prior got to keep it, and can still re-download it if need be. Is this iOS version of Rock Band dependent on a server or something?

[gtmtnbiker]

EA came out with this response:

Update: EA has released a statement regarding a message users received stating that Rock Band on iOS will no longer function after May 31st.

"Rock Band for iOS will remain live - the in-app message users received yesterday was sent in error. We apologize for the confusion this caused. We're working to clarify the issue that caused the error and will share additional information as soon as possible."

[markeconrad]

Hasn't this always been the biggest problem with digital purchases? You are essentially buying the right to view/read/play digital content, not own it.