I’m more than a few credits short of a law degree, but I don’t believe that a company can release online software that automatically deletes (steals?) different software that was purchased in the past. Is there any angle here that has the individuals that were responsible for this software somehow complicit in a crime? I’m staring at the WC3 RoC and TFT boxes on my desk. I bought them (yes, it was years and years ago, but I did buy them) and they are effectively gone. In my mind, stolen.
I know this is a stretch, and an overreaction - I’m a huge Blizzard fan; yes, even after this debacle, but this is how I feel. I’d like my property (RoC and TFT) returned to me.
No, i don’t think this would be sue able since blizzard could just be like “well, we did do those things, but the player can do X therefore X hasn’t gotten a proper statement”. you could never be able to successfully sue blizzard if you are able to install the RoC and TFT games on a computer and still play those in single player mode.
multiplayer is a different story, since blizzard owns the right to do whatever they want with them.
Keep in mind that Bliz owns their games, not us. They are the owners of Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, etc. We pay only to have access to them. Meaning, they can do whatever they want with them, with their property.
In this case with WC3, nothing has been stolen. What they did was replace an older version of the game with a newer one, something they have been doing since the beginning. So, everyone who owned WC3 in the past still has access to it. It’s available in the Classic mode of the Reforged client.
Those boxes still have CDs right? Those CDs still have a game right? That’s what you own. You wanted any patch newer than that? You agree to the newest terms (per the terms in your box).
Check out Sorsha’s link, the gist is laws are catching up now. Game companies can’t grant an indefinite license period and still claim the software product is leased.