Steam finally tells it like it is. Don’t miss this message
Steam finally says clearly that it is a platform that trades licenses, not copies of a digital product. You will see an important message when purchasing games.
Steam has finally started warning players that they are purchasing a license for a game on Steam, rather than a copy of the game. Therefore, the license owner is not the owner of the copy of the game and has other rights to dispose of his property. Details can, of course, be explored in the Steam User Agreement. We all expect this, but it’s still worth reminding about it. It is also an important step towards transparency of purchases on digital platforms.
Steam sells licenses, not products
The new message has appeared in the cart summary view in many countries. So you can familiarize yourself with it before proceeding to payment for games… that is, for game licenses. Below I showed what it looks like in the Polish version.
Why did Steam add this message? It is possible that this is related to upcoming changes in legislation in the state of California. In 2025, a regulation will enter into force there informing people if buyers are not the owners of digital content. This applies not only to gaming licensing platforms, but also to streaming services and e-book rentals. Companies that do not meet the requirements will face fines.
