European Gamers Launch Petition to Save Digital Games from Publisher Shutdowns
A European citizen's initiative, "Stop Killing Games," is underway, aiming to protect players' digital game investments. Fueled by Ubisoft's closure of The Crew, the petition seeks EU legislation to prevent publishers from rendering games unplayable after ending support.
The petition, spearheaded by Ross Scott, aims to garner one million signatures within a year to trigger the EU legislative process. Scott is confident of success, citing alignment with existing consumer protection policies. While the law's scope would be limited to Europe, he hopes its impact will extend globally, influencing industry practices.
The initiative directly addresses the issue of server shutdowns for online-only games, highlighting the loss of significant player investment. Examples like SYNCED and NEXON's Warhaven underscore the urgency, with millions of hours of gameplay lost due to premature closures.
Scott describes the practice as "planned obsolescence," comparing it to the historical loss of silent films due to silver reclamation. The petition advocates for games to remain playable at the time of official shutdown, mandating publishers to maintain functionality without dictating the specific technical approach.
The initiative also extends to free-to-play games with microtransactions, arguing that purchased in-game items shouldn't be rendered worthless by server closures. Knockout City's successful transition to a free-to-play model with private server support serves as a positive example.
However, the petition explicitly does not demand: relinquishing intellectual property rights, source code release, perpetual support, continued server hosting, or publisher liability for player actions.
To participate, visit the "Stop Killing Games" website and sign the petition (one signature per person). Even non-European residents can contribute by spreading awareness of the campaign. The ultimate goal is to prevent future game closures and safeguard player investments.
