Have you ever bought an app or game from a digital storefront, only for it to suddenly disappear and become inaccessible without warning? It’s both confusing and frustrating, which is why some governments are stepping in and hoping to make things clearer for consumers. Gavin Newsom, governor of California, recently signed a new law (AB 2426) that involves the purchasing of digital goods and services. Under the new law, online storefronts that sell digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows, and ebooks must be explicit as to whether customers actually own what they’re purchasing. Some digital services are already adapting to the new regulations, which aren’t set to be enforced until next year. Steam is one such company, having already implemented a change in the Steam storefront that explicitly notifies customers that they’re purchasing “a license for the product on Steam” and don’t actually own the game outright. What does that mean for you? Well, a license is just permission for you to access content that’s provided by the service (i.e., the game). If the content is made unavailable for whatever reason, you aren’t entitled to access in perpetuity. (As opposed to buying a digital download, in which case you’re buying permission to download and keep said files.) According to Engadget, this new wording in Steam is used in all countries and territories, not just the United States. Further reading: Why digital games can vanish in a heartbeat Continue reading at 'PC World'
[ PC World | 2024-10-11 19:19:30 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#game outright
#digital services
#digital download
#explicitly states
#digital games
#digital storefront
#suddenly disappear
#gavin newsom
#recently signed
#digital goods
#online storefronts
#video games
#tv shows
#made unavailable
#ebooks
Steam appears to have started posting a notice in its shopping cart that purchases on its storefront are only for a license and not a game, according to a notice spotted by Engadget. It looks like an attempt by the company to get ahead of a new California law coming next year that forces... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-10-11 08:51:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ebooks
#libraries
Due to a convergence of supply-chain issues, shifting consumer preferences, auto advertising continues to shift from traditional to digital media channels, even as total spending is expected to drop. The post Media Buying Briefing: As the auto industry shifts its priorities, digital media... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2021-09-13 04:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#supply-chain issues
#digital media
News that GOG.com has delisted 29 games this month is a sobering reminder that at any moment the games you own could vanish from your PC game libraries at any time and there’s not much you can do about it. Admittedly, GOG’s games include titles that many gamers may not have heard about.... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-09-26 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#libraries
#physical copy
#large amount
#hugely popular
Gather ’round, children, and let me tell you a story about the old bugaboo we used to call DRM. Digital Rights Management was the beast under every gamer’s bed in the mid-2000s, an invisible bit of software baked into game discs that dictated and tracked player behavior under the guise of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-03-04 16:30:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#living rooms
#digital distribution
#varied landscape
#20th anniversary
#libraries
Bless me, Gaben, for I have sinned. In a moment of weakness I turned off the adult content filters in my Steam search, and now my game library has been tainted by the shame of tender, undulating flesh rendered in Unreal Engine. But fear not, fellow naughty gamers: Steam will soon let you... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-12-21 15:29:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#ve made
#video games
#unreal engine
#libraries
The digital media conglomerate Starboard said Friday it purchased the conservative social media site Parler and will temporarily take down the app as it undergoes a “strategic assessment.” Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2023-04-14 20:47:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital media
Early this football season, the National Football League began shifting tactics to engage younger fans on social media as people reallocate their attention from TV to digital content that is fun, snackable and highly visual. With Super Bowl 57 quickly approaching, Big Game advertisers--who spent... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2023-02-08 19:41:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#football season
#digital content
The U.S. Department of Justice and eight states, including California, filed suit against Google in a Virginia federal court on Tuesday, claiming that the company illegally used its market powers to dominate Internet advertising. In a court filing originally reported on by CNN, the DOJ... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-01-24 19:39:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#higher quality
#ad business
#header bidding
#small businesses
#publishers make
Some digital media buyers are focusing on reducing the impact on the environment of digital marketing, even though clients aren't yet asking for that rigor. The post Media Buying Briefing: Sustainability once again takes center stage across digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2022-06-06 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital marketing
#digital media
Valve’s portable PC gaming machine, the Steam Deck, is gaining a lot of attention as its official release date draws near. But between its Linux-based Steam OS operating system and its power-efficient AMD parts, players could be forgiven for wondering which high-powered games can actually run... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2022-02-23 17:14:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#large library
#steam deck
#libraries
This year, a 30-second spot in the Big Game will run advertisers about $6.5 million. Here's what that can buy instead in digital media. The post What a $6.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2022-02-11 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#big game
#digital media
The Steam Deck, Valve’s take on a Switch-style portable PC gaming machine, is perhaps the most anticipated piece of portable hardware since…well, since the Nintendo Switch. So it’s understandable that the technology press is champing at the bit to devour every detail about it, even well before... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2022-02-09 18:09:04 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#haptic feedback
#console gamers
#expect vibration
#enhance immersion
#poo stain
#white sheet
#weeks left
#syncing progress
#today epic
#linux version
#incomplete glimpses
#huge library
#starting price
#february 25th
#big promises
#libraries
The Steam Deck, Valve’s take on a Switch-style portable PC gaming machine, is perhaps the most anticipated piece of portable hardware since…well, since the Nintendo Switch. So it’s understandable that the technology press is champing at the bit to devour every detail about it, even well before... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2022-02-08 14:47:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#haptic feedback
#console gamers
#expect vibration
#enhance immersion
#poo stain
#white sheet
#weeks left
#syncing progress
#today epic
#linux version
#incomplete glimpses
#huge library
#starting price
#february 25th
#big promises
#libraries
Creator Josh Wardle ‘thrilled’ that newspaper is taking over internet sensationThe New York Times has acquired the viral word game Wordle for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, the publisher announced on Monday.Created by a Reddit engineer and launched in October, Wordle gives players just six... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-31 23:22:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#seven-figure sum
#publisher announced
Children are being exposed to aspects of Netflix’s gory and dark drama Squid Game, but it’s most likely not from the streaming service itself. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-10-21 05:35:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#streaming service
#digital content
In a busy year for gaming mergers, another deal has just been announced. Tencent is to fully acquire Sumo Group, the UK developer behind LittleBigPlanet 3 and Crackdown 3. The Chinese web giant is offering 513 pence per share for the studio, in which it already owns an 8.75 percent stake,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-07-19 09:14:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#multiple reports
#long-term success
#non-executive chairman
#publishers including
For example, in terms of Big Game spending, $5.5 million for a 30-second ad could cover the cost of 275 million impressions on YouTube. The post What a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2021-02-05 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital media
For example, in terms of Big Game spending, $5.5 million for a 30-second ad could cover the cost of 275 million impressions on YouTube. The post What a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad can buy in digital media appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2021-02-05 05:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#digital media
As part of the deal, Verizon is acquiring a minority stake in BuzzFeed, which will use the telecom giant’s ad platform to reach more customers. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2020-11-19 19:16:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#buy huffpost
#minority stake
#ad platform
#digital media