A growing movement across Europe is urging lawmakers to stop video game publishers from shutting down online games that players have legally purchased. The “Stop Killing Games” campaign, a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), has recently surpassed 1.4 million signatures, which is enough to compel the European Commission to respond and formally consider the issues raised.
Vanished games
The initiative targets a common but little-known practice of publishers disabling the servers that many digital games depend on after they decide to end commercial support. When these servers shut down, even players who own the game lose access. Unlike physical media such as books or DVDs, digital games can effectively vanish, raising serious questions about consumer rights and the cultural preservation of video games.
“In the same way authors of books are not allowed to come into your home and repossess books they have sold to you, we want similar protections for video games.” – Russ Scott, founder of Stop Killing Games
Ross Scott, the main face of the campaign, talked to EU Perspectives about his concerns: “ In the same way authors of books are not allowed to come into your home and repossess books they have sold to you, we want similar protections for video games.”
The movement was sparked by Ubisoft’s decision to shut down servers for The Crew, a popular online-only racing game released in 2014. When the servers went offline, millions of players lost access to the game entirely.
Targeting the Digital Fairness Act
Scott used his YouTube channel, Accursed Farms, to encourage supporters to engage with the Digital Fairness Act (DFA) public consultation, which opened on 17 July. He explained that the idea to seek protection within the DFA originated from BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation.
“If planned for from the start, implementing ‘end of life’ plans can be a minimal cost, even inconsequential in the long term” – Russ Scott, founder of Stop Killing Games
As Scott puts it, “The DFA is already trying to address issues such as predatory monetisation in video games, so what we’re asking for is in very similar territory.” He hopes regulators will “add a provision requiring publishers to leave video games they have sold to customers in a reasonably working state when they end support without requiring a connection to them or affiliated parties.”
Pushback from the games industry
The video game industry has voiced concerns over the campaign’s demands. Video Games Europe, an industry group, published a statement arguing that shutting down online services is a complex decision made carefully.
They warn that imposing new rules could increase costs for developers and stifle innovation, since “many titles are designed from the ground up to be online-only” and that this proposal “curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create”. They also emphasise that players are usually given notice before servers are shut down, in line with local consumer protection laws.
Scott disputes these arguments, comparing the industry’s resistance to how automakers in the 1960s opposed seatbelt regulations. “If planned for from the start, implementing ‘end of life’ plans can be a minimal cost, even inconsequential in the long term” he said. “It’s worth stating that most video games sold today would already be compliant, so this is focused on a minority of games.”
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Past EU citizens’ initiatives
The Stop Killing Games campaign joins a series of successful European Citizens’ Initiatives that have shaped EU policy over the years. For example, the “Right2Water” campaign led to stronger protections for water resources, while campaigns like “Ban Glyphosate” brought public health and environmental issues into legislative focus.
What’s next?
Once the 1.4 million signatures are validated, the European Commission will assess whether new laws are necessary to prevent digital game shutdowns. The next stage will see the European Parliament appoint committees to review the petition, seek input from relevant stakeholders, and possibly consult outside experts.
If the initiative moves forward, it could result in new EU legislation requiring publishers to keep video games playable even after they end support.
Scott remains optimistic: “I think most games will be completely unaffected since they are already designed to work indefinitely. For games that require a connection to the publisher, more thought would need to go into designing an ‘end of life’ plan. The changes would be small but create enormous benefits.”
