A European Citizen's Initiative Aims to Preserve Digital Game Purchases: One Million Signatures Needed

Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew ignited a European-wide petition demanding legislative protection for digital game purchases. This "Stop Killing Games" initiative seeks to prevent publishers from rendering games unplayable after ending support. Learn more about this crucial campaign and its fight to protect player investments.

The "Stop Killing Games" petition, gathering momentum across Europe, calls upon the European Union to enact legislation safeguarding player purchases. The initiative, spearheaded by Ross Scott and others, aims to hold publishers accountable for server shutdowns that effectively erase players' investments in online-only games. Scott is confident of success, highlighting the initiative's alignment with existing consumer protection policies. While the law's reach would be limited to Europe, the hope is that success within this significant market will inspire global change, either through legislation or industry-wide standards.

Achieving this ambitious goal requires navigating the European Citizen’s Initiative process. One million signatures from across various European countries are needed within one year to submit a formal legislative proposal. Eligibility is simple: any EU citizen of voting age (age varies by country) can participate. The petition, launched in August, has already amassed a significant number of signatures, but a considerable effort remains to reach the million-signature target.

The petition directly addresses the issue of server shutdowns for online-only games, exemplified by The Crew's closure. This action resulted in the loss of countless hours of gameplay and investment for millions of players. With games like SYNCED and NEXON's Warhaven already facing similar fates, the urgency of the petition is undeniable.

Scott describes this practice as "planned obsolescence," highlighting the irony of publishers profiting from sales while simultaneously destroying the purchased product. He draws a parallel to the silent film era, where films were destroyed for their silver content, resulting in the permanent loss of countless works. The petition advocates for games to remain playable at the time of server shutdown, mandating that publishers "leave said videogames in a functional (playable) state," leaving the implementation method to the publishers themselves.

The initiative extends to free-to-play games with microtransactions, arguing that the loss of access to purchased in-game items constitutes a loss of goods. While some successful precedents exist (such as Knockout City's transition to a free-to-play model with private server support), the petition's scope is clear: it does not demand relinquishment of intellectual property rights, source code, endless support, server hosting, or liability for player actions.

To support the initiative, visit the "Stop Killing Games" website and sign the petition (one signature per person). Country-specific instructions are available to ensure signature validity. Even non-European supporters can contribute by spreading awareness of this critical campaign, aiming to create a ripple effect across the video game industry and prevent future game closures.