Game Access in effect: locked pledge, SQ42, gifting and first issues (October 2, 2026)

In a support article published on its website, CIG details how Game Access locking works, which took effect on October 1. The principle is to tie game access to a protected pledge that can no longer be melted or gifted. Since the rollout, players have reported several situations the documentation does not clearly cover.

What CIG has confirmed

According to CIG's support article, there are two cases.

Concierge members who had Squadron 42 access before March 18, 2022. Their SQ42 access and persistent universe access are automatically tied to the VIP High Admiral item, which is already non-meltable and non-transferable.

All other players. The lock is applied to the oldest pledge granting game access. CIG gives priority to a pledge that is already non-meltable and non-transferable.

The pledge carrying the lock is not final. Each player can change which pledge holds the lock until November 1. A locked pledge selector is live, as relayed by a Reddit thread on the rollout.

SQ42 and persistent universe access can also be split across two separate pledges. A player shared a screenshot of this case on Reddit.

Gifting and CCU chains

Two official forum threads, filed under FAQ and announcements, detail the consequences for gifting pledges. Their exact content is not repeated here: for now, the figures and procedures are found in those posts.

The creator Lord Tyler summarized the announced rules in a video from September 22. Some pledges become "protected" and can no longer be melted or gifted, with a limited window to choose which package to protect. The video also covered what remains possible with CCUs.

In addition, players relayed on Reddit on September 26 another change announced for October: a pledge intended to be gifted will have to be marked as a gift at the time of purchase. This information comes from the community.

The fate of CCU chains mixing transferable and non-transferable upgrades remains an open question in discussions. A Reddit thread from September 25 already asked whether upgrades applied to the carrying pledge would be meltable after October 8, a deadline whose origin is not specified.

First issues reported

These points come from players and have not received an official response so far.

• Unexpected default pledge selection. Some players find that a package they did not expect is carrying the lock.
• Original and Veteran Backers reward. A player reports on Reddit that this reward, though non-meltable, cannot be used to attach Squadron 42 access. The lock was assigned by default to another package.
• Accounts with no visible lock. Spectrum threads, including Oct 1st and no sign of unmeltable package, report accounts where the lock did not appear on the morning of October 1.
• Concierge members on the Standard Edition. The Concierge: SQ42 and the Standard Edition thread describes a case the documentation covers poorly.

Another Spectrum thread raises the question of buyback tokens under this new framework.

What we still don't know

Several points still need clarification.

• CIG has not yet publicly responded to the reported cases: the Original and Veteran Backers reward, accounts with no visible lock, and Concierge members on the Standard Edition.
• The exact treatment of CCU chains mixing transferable and non-transferable upgrades has not been established to date.
• Details on the consequences for gifting are in the official forum threads and the support article, best read directly at the source.

The next signal to watch is a possible update to the support article or a response from CIG on Spectrum.