Steam Now Warns Players They’re Only Purchasing a License When They Buy a Game

Steam now officially warns players with a message that says they are only purchasing a license for the games they buy, that could expire at any time, and not an actual copy of the game. The message was added as a recent update to the check out page. “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam,” reads the message. This was a result of a recent bill being passed in the United States. The bill states that digital storefronts are forbidden from using terms like “buy” unless costumers are informed that they are only buying a license.

“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 recent statement.

Valve recently announced Steam Families, a feature that allows up to five users to share and play supported games from each other’s libraries. While the feature was previously available to a select few, the company has announced that it is now available to all users. It also replaces both Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View. Family Sharing enables you to play games from other family members’ libraries, even if they are online playing another game. If your family library has multiple copies of a game, multiple members of the family can play that game at the same time. A trailer for the feature was also released.

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