Yes, I know DRM-free means you can still physically play the games. Thats not what I’m asking.
Sparked by a recent discussion about DRM, I’m wondering what happens legally when different game stores close. For example, if Steam shuts down, are licences presumed to presist or are they revoked? What about GOG, Itch.io or Epic? I couldn’t find anything in the terms of service specifying.
Steam very specifically states that you buy a license for the game. Unless someone somehow takes over the license agreements with publishers, your game library disappears.
GOG very plainly states your ability to download game installers to have as a backup to prevent this ever being an issue. They could go under and say “you have 3 days to download your games before servers go offline” and you could.
What happens if you simply disconnect from the internet, how does it know to “update”?
Some programs monitor the system clock for purposes like this.
But in the case of Steam games, many of your games would work just fine.