A petition launched in Europe, inspired by Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew, aims to prevent similar discontinuations of multiplayer games. Learn more about this initiative and the movement to protect digital game ownership.
European Gamers Unite in 'Stop Killing Games' Campaign
'Stop Killing Games' Petition Needs One Million Signatures Within a Year
A growing number of European gamers are supporting a citizen-led initiative to preserve digital purchases. The "Stop Killing Games" petition urges the European Union to pass laws that would prohibit publishers from making games unplayable after ending official support.
Ross Scott, one of the campaign organizers, expressed strong confidence in the initiative's success, highlighting that it "aligns with other consumer protection policies." Though the proposed law would only apply in Europe, Scott hopes its adoption in such a major market could inspire similar change worldwide—either through legislation or industry standards.
However, turning this idea into law will be an uphill battle. The campaign must follow the "European Citizen’s Initiative" process, which requires one million signatures from residents across multiple EU member states to submit a formal legislative proposal. Eligibility is simple: signers must be of voting age in their respective European country.
The petition opened at the beginning of August and has already collected 183,593 signatures. While the target is still far off, organizers have a full year to reach their goal.
Campaign Aims to Make Publishers Responsible for Maintaining Playability After Server Shutdowns
The Crew, an online-only racing game released in 2014, became a flashpoint for this issue when Ubisoft ended its online services in March this year. This decision effectively erased the investments of 12 million players.
The reality is stark: when servers for always-online games go offline, players lose countless hours—and financial investment—for good. Even midway through 2024, titles like SYNCED and NEXON’s Warhaven have already confirmed shutdowns, leaving players with no recourse for their lost purchases.
"This is essentially planned obsolescence," Ross Scott noted in a YouTube video. "Publishers are removing access to games people have already bought—but they keep the money." He compared the situation to the silent film era, when studios would "burn film reels to extract silver, causing most films from that time to be lost forever."
According to Scott, the initiative only asks developers and publishers to "leave games in a functional state at the time of shutdown." In fact, the petition calls for a law that would require "publishers selling or licensing video games in the EU (including in-game features and assets) to ensure those games remain functional after official support ends." Exactly how publishers achieve this is left to them.
The initiative also intends to hold free-to-play games with microtransactions accountable. Scott explains: "If you bought a microtransaction as a virtual good, and then the game becomes unplayable, you've effectively lost that good."
Precedents exist for maintaining access after shutdown. For example, Knockout City went offline in June 2023 but was later relaunched as a free standalone title with private server capabilities. All cosmetics and items are now freely available, and players can host their own servers.
That said, the initiative would not force publishers to do the following:
⚫︎ Surrender intellectual property rights
⚫︎ Release source code
⚫︎ Provide indefinite support
⚫︎ Host servers indefinitely
⚫︎ Assume liability for player-run servers or user behavior
To support the campaign, visit the "Stop Killing Games" website and sign the petition. Remember, each person may only sign once—errors may invalidate your submission. Fortunately, the site offers country-specific instructions to help avoid mistakes.
As Ross Scott emphasized in his video, even if you're not from Europe, you can help by spreading awareness. The ultimate goal is to create "a ripple effect across the video game industry, preventing publishers from permanently disabling more games."
