As a gesture of good faith to anyone unfortunate enough to have bought a season pass for the bugfest that is Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Ubisoft recently offered customers a free game as compensation. How nice of them. Well, no, as there’s a catch. Because of course there is, hidden away in the small print.

Any person that accepts the free game is waiving their right to take legal action against Ubisoft for selling a broken game, and for when the company releases the first DLC for free, which devalues the season pass. So, rather than being a placatory gesture from the game developer for their mistake, the free game deal is actually a sneaky way for Ubisoft to cover its own hide.

The offending disclaimer starts, “You hereby irrevocably and unconditionally release, waive, and forever discharge and covenant not to sue Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.” It meanders on in dense legalese, but that opening statement conveys all it needs to: ‘claim our free game and lose your right to punish us for robbing you’.

If a class action lawsuit, which Ubisoft would likely lose, was filed against the company, anyone who claimed the free game would be ineligible to recoup any compensation should the suit prove successful. Avoiding legal fees has rarely been so devious.

Source: The Eccentric Gamer