This has honestly been posted all over the place, and you’ve also been cross-posting the exact same question.
Seriously, for the love of Zeus, Thor, and the Holy Forum gods, just read all the Nuendo 10 and crossgrade threads, and you’ll see it over and over. And I’ll even answer it again here:
When you buy the crossgrade from Cubase to Nuendo, you will get an Activation Code for Nuendo. This magical Activation Code needs to be MANUALLY added to your eLicenser control panel, while an eLicenser is simultaneously plugged in that already has a valid Cubase 4-10 Pro license on it. When you put the Activation Code in the eLicenser control panel by your own human hands, it will then REPLACE your Cubase 4-10 Pro license with a brand new Nuendo 8 license. That’s it. The “replacement” of the Cubase license means REPLACEMENT. In other words, it REPLACES your Cubase license so you CANNOT run Cubase any more, at all, period. Replace = Replace. You can then only run Nuendo 8. That’s it. End of story.
However, you can WAIT to input the Nuendo Activation Code into the eLicenser… you can WAIT, which means you can WAIT. Yes, you can “wait” (again, as in “WAIT”) as long as you want to… until 2021, 2022… until the Sun expands and consumes our solar system… and while you WAIT, your Cubase license will remain intact as a CUBASE LICENSE. Which means nothing will happen to your existing Cubase license. Which means you can still run Cubase. As long as you don’t put your Nuendo Activation Code in. Does that make sense?
So guard that Nuendo Activation Code and protect it with your life. Hold it sacred until the very moment you want to REPLACE your Cubase license. Then you’ll be good to go, okay?
One more note: When Nuendo 10 comes out, Steinberg will provide a free upgrade from your Nuendo 8 license to Nuendo 10 because you bought the Nuendo 8 crossgrade during this sales action… which means that you are in the grace period. Period.
So can we put this question to bed once and for all and forever in every thread in the forum?