[Gadgets360] Civilization VI Steam EULA Changed to Allow for Data Collection

UltraMega · Feb 15, 2019

Civilization VI on Steam for PC has received a rather disturbing change to its end user license agreement (EULA). Now, the popular strategy game would collect a lot more personal information that it should, to the point of tracking your location. Disturbing when you consider that Civilisation VI is a premium game as opposed to a free download on Google Play or the App Store. Diligent Steam users who own Civilization VI have been leaving negative reviews en masse on the game's Steam page. It's a tactic in the gaming community known as review bombing and has been done to show displeasure for such a tacky move on publisher 2K's part.
"The information we collect may include personal information such as your first and/or last name, e-mail address, phone number, photo, mailing address, geolocation, or payment information," reads the new EULA for Civilization VI. "In addition, we may collect your age, gender, date of birth, zip code, hardware configuration, console ID, software products played, survey data, purchases, IP address and the systems you have played on. We may combine the information with your personal information and across other computers or devices that you may use."
Needless to say, users are far from happy.

2K parent company Take Two also publishes the popular GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. Its revenue in the quarter ending in March will be $450 million to $500 million (roughly Rs. 3,200 crores to Rs. 3,500 crores), when analysts anticipated $609.1 million. Its shares slumped as much as 14 percent, the most since December 2009.
With its earnings call taking place last week before the change to Civilization VI's EULA, it is possible that its below expectations performance has resulted in a move to milk its existing user base as much as possible.
That said, it is deplorable that despite shifting over 17 million units of Red Dead Redemption 2 in under weeks, Take Two still thinks it's not making enough to keep it or its investors happy, perhaps playing a part in turning Civilization VI into spyware.

Source

Real bad look for Firaxis and Take Two. Sounds like the most profitable game publisher ever is resorting to some shady business to make up for the gap in its estimated vs real earnings. Gotta say this is no surprise at all considering how they run the online for GTAV.

Defoler · Feb 15, 2019

This is a big chance to the EULA.
I wonder how this will be fared if someone who owns the game before, and get a pop up to accept it, doesn't agree with that change. Lock you out of the game you have already been playing?
I smell a lawsuit coming their way.

tpi2007 · Feb 15, 2019

This is completely unacceptable. And I suspect that the kind of people who play games like Civilization will put in considerably more effort to push back against this move than the publisher might be expecting. They messed with the wrong crowd.

TheHorse · Feb 15, 2019

Defoler said:
This is a big chance to the EULA.
I wonder how this will be fared if someone who owns the game before, and get a pop up to accept it, doesn't agree with that change. Lock you out of the game you have already been playing?
I smell a lawsuit coming their way.

I'm pretty sure they just say if you continue to play the game you accept the EULA. When's the last time you had to click an EULA to play a game on steam? I don't think I ever have.

Sir Beregond · Feb 15, 2019

TheHorse said:
I'm pretty sure they just say if you continue to play the game you accept the EULA. When's the last time you had to click an EULA to play a game on steam? I don't think I ever have.

Ummm....quite a bit? Especially a while back when everyone was redoing their EULAs.

TheHorse · Feb 15, 2019

Sir Beregond said:
Ummm....quite a bit? Especially a while back when everyone was redoing their EULAs.

You're either playing completely different games than me or mistaken. I rarely agree to EULA when playing steam games. Occasionally on first install...

BulletSponge · Feb 15, 2019

tpi2007 said:
This is completely unacceptable. And I suspect that the kind of people who play games like Civilization will put in considerably more effort to push back against this move than the publisher might be expecting. They messed with the wrong crowd.

I've suspended my trade route with their offices and am massing Cavalry, Infantry and trebuchet on their border.

Defoler · Feb 16, 2019

TheHorse said:
I'm pretty sure they just say if you continue to play the game you accept the EULA. When's the last time you had to click an EULA to play a game on steam? I don't think I ever have.

Depends on the games, but more than a few active developers update the EULA and you are expected to accept the EULA.

The only option to make this valid, is if you accept the EULA only if you install a new DLC. But if you bought the game and accepted the first EULA, there should be no possible way for them to suddenly revision and block you from playing the game you bought.

Darren9 · Feb 16, 2019

Defoler said:
Depends on the games, but more than a few active developers update the EULA and you are expected to accept the EULA.

The only option to make this valid, is if you accept the EULA only if you install a new DLC. But if you bought the game and accepted the first EULA, there should be no possible way for them to suddenly revision and block you from playing the game you bought.

It's already been done though, KSP got a new EULA when TakeTwo acquired it from the original Devs and their must be more. Just because a game is more popular so gets some instant $$click generating headlines doesn't make changing an EULA any less legal than it's already been I don't think.

azanimefan · Feb 16, 2019

Defoler said:
This is a big chance to the EULA.
I wonder how this will be fared if someone who owns the game before, and get a pop up to accept it, doesn't agree with that change. Lock you out of the game you have already been playing?
I smell a lawsuit coming their way.

I own Civ Vi and I can tell you how it happened.

It came in with the new expansion. When you boot the new expansion for the first time a NEW EULA popup prompts you to accept it in order to play. This is an expansion people paid $39.99 for, and this popup looks visually identical to the original EULA you click past when you installed Civ Vi, with no obvious signs of a change people can click right past it without paying any attention. Its a really dirty move, because as we all know thanks to the star citizen lawsuit, if you PAY for something when a EULA change happens and you click "accept" you're now legally on the new EULA, even if you didn't read it, or thought it was the same as the former one. So by attaching this change to the new expansion in order to play the expansion you need to accept the new EULA, or you don't get the right to play the new expansion.

I accepted it because I assume every EULA I've signed (whether from Microsoft or anyone else) includes the same data-mining. Sort of just worn down by the invasion of my privacy at this point.

UltraMega · Feb 17, 2019

azanimefan said:
I own Civ Vi and I can tell you how it happened.

It came in with the new expansion. When you boot the new expansion for the first time a NEW EULA popup prompts you to accept it in order to play. This is an expansion people paid $39.99 for, and this popup looks visually identical to the original EULA you click past when you installed Civ Vi, with no obvious signs of a change people can click right past it without paying any attention. Its a really dirty move, because as we all know thanks to the star citizen lawsuit, if you PAY for something when a EULA change happens and you click "accept" you're now legally on the new EULA, even if you didn't read it, or thought it was the same as the former one. So by attaching this change to the new expansion in order to play the expansion you need to accept the new EULA, or you don't get the right to play the new expansion.

I accepted it because I assume every EULA I've signed (whether from Microsoft or anyone else) includes the same data-mining. Sort of just worn down by the invasion of my privacy at this point.

It makes sense for a company like google or Microsoft (not that it's good but at least makes sense), but for it to be in a game like this, means if people let this slip by it will be everywhere. Data mining everything all the time from every direction instead of just the major software vendors. If it's ok for Civ 6 to know my location, my browsing history, what devices I use, how long I sleep at night... then why can't McDonalds collect my data when I buy a cheeseburger?

Data collection isn't going away but there has to be a line, and this situation clearly crosses it.

Defoler · Feb 17, 2019

UltraMega said:
Data collection isn't going away but there has to be a line, and this situation clearly crosses it.

If the game had a huge bolded disclaimer saying "this game contain data collection and personal information mining", I would understand.

But no one expect a game to have a facebook data collection like system in place, which collects personal information in such a way and amount, and find about it after the purchase.
*** are they collecting people's names, phone numbers, IP addresses and their systems etc. That is literally a spyware. What the hell for is all that information?

I couldn't find the full EULA. I wonder if they have a clause saying that they are allowed to share the information they collect (or whether they state that it will not be shared). If they can share that information, that would make it even worse, but you know, they might do so anyway even if they say they don't.

Ceadderman · Feb 18, 2019

Steam data collects for the express purpose of keeping track of your hardware.

How do you think they compile the usage chart that are user accessible? They didn't get that with a wild guess. They got it by tracking every aspect of their customers hardware usage.

It's nothing new. Shoot if you're using Windows 10 this shouldn't alarm you. Steam also tracks your OS to segment for the results as well. Linux, Apple iOS, Windows... whichever you use will be displayed as they are compiled. I wouldn't sweat this either.

~Ceadder :drink:

tpi2007 · Feb 18, 2019

Ceadderman said:
Steam data collects for the express purpose of keeping track of your hardware.

How do you think they compile the usage chart that are user accessible? They didn't get that with a wild guess. They got it by tracking every aspect of their customers hardware usage.

It's nothing new. Shoot if you're using Windows 10 this shouldn't alarm you. Steam also tracks your OS to segment for the results as well. Linux, Apple iOS, Windows... whichever you use will be displayed as they are compiled. I wouldn't sweat this either.

~Ceadder :drink:

You're mixing up a lot of different stuff. Steam's hardware survey is optional and this Civilization EULA has got nothing to do with the Steam one.

Defoler · Feb 18, 2019

Ceadderman said:
Steam data collects for the express purpose of keeping track of your hardware.

How do you think they compile the usage chart that are user accessible? They didn't get that with a wild guess. They got it by tracking every aspect of their customers hardware usage.

It's nothing new. Shoot if you're using Windows 10 this shouldn't alarm you. Steam also tracks your OS to segment for the results as well. Linux, Apple iOS, Windows... whichever you use will be displayed as they are compiled. I wouldn't sweat this either.

~Ceadder :drink:

First off mr drunk, steam doesn't connect that data to your personal information.
Secondly, they ask you if you are willing to give them information, that is not forced on you. You can not fill a survey and walla, steam knows nothing.
Thirdly, steam are collected that data anonymously, so they know what systems users use, but they don't care what specific user is using, what systems he has been on, where he lives, his personal information or the name of his dog.

Those are two huge differences.

And yes, windows 10 also collect data, but it has the option (at least that we know) to opt out. This does not. And it even says so after you bought the game, not before.

So keep on drinking. You apparently really need it.

Ceadderman · Feb 18, 2019

tpi2007 said:
You're mixing up a lot of different stuff. Steam's hardware survey is optional and this Civilization EULA has got nothing to do with the Steam one.

Sorry, I thought that it was relegated to Steam. I don't have the game but my brother has it and got it through Steam. I will have to inform him of this post haste.

I will not respond the the above comment due to name calling. If in jest, a well place emote could have cleared that.

~Ceadder :drink:

ToTheSun! · Feb 18, 2019

Defoler said:
You can not fill a survey and walla, steam knows nothing.

The way you sullied both the English and French languages, grammatically and lexically, gave me an allegorical rash.

Please, leave and go rethink your life.

andrews2547 · Feb 18, 2019

To be fair, the CEO of Take Two said they weren't monitising their customer base enough.

UltraMega · Feb 18, 2019

andrews2547 said:
To be fair, the CEO of Take Two said they weren't monitising their customer base enough.

I guess Take Two wants to be the new EA.

neonlazer · Feb 18, 2019

Take Two added this to Rockstar's EULA too. Not like I was playing GTA V anyway.

[Gadgets360] Civilization VI Steam EULA Changed to Allow for Data Collection

UltraMega

Defoler

tpi2007

TheHorse

Sir Beregond

TheHorse

BulletSponge

Defoler

Darren9

azanimefan

UltraMega

Defoler

Ceadderman

tpi2007

Defoler

Ceadderman

ToTheSun!

andrews2547

UltraMega

neonlazer

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