Xbox users aren't happy about where their digital library goes when they die
Steam confirmed how its store works last week
After confirming last week that Steam libraries can't be left in a will, gamers are worried about where their libraries will go when they leave this mortal plane of existence.
A reply from Steam's official support team stated that they "regret to inform that your Steam account cannot be transferred via a will". The news was posted by ResetEra user delete12345, and was noticed by several people who noted that there were ways around this, and who took to Reddit to give advice on how to get around this restriction.
"I suspect this will be a 'don't ask don't tell' situation. Valve probably doesn't care but some of their licensing/ publishers partners might," one Reddit user mused.
"Bit surprising to me, because other sites already have features related to when a loved one dies. For instance, Apple having legacy contacts and ways to request data, or Facebook having features like legacy contacts and account memorialization. As the digital age continues and as those of us who grew up with tech get older, this will be a growing concern and problem, what happens when a person dies and their accounts/devices are locked behind a password. You can put your credentials/passwords in a will but as this article points out, that may not be a foolproof solution in all cases," another user stated, specifying the problems with this approach.
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Xbox and PlayStation gamers have also discovered their digital libraries share a similar fate when you die, which certainly hasn't gone down brilliantly.
One user joked: "My Xbox live is permanently my high school email. I'm 30 now."
Meanwhile, another reasoned that it's actually probably more reasonable to worry about dying first, and that the video games come second.
In another thread, one user pointed out the flaw in this approach and how it's basically impossible for the company to actually reinforce it.
"Valve or GOG or Xbox or PSN... they don't know if the owner of the account dies. Just pass on the login info to someone else so they can change the payment info and account info. The providers will never know the difference."