European Gamers Launch Petition to Save Online Games from Server Shutdowns

A European citizen's initiative, "Stop Killing Games," is gaining traction, aiming to protect players' investments in online games facing server closures. The petition seeks one million signatures within a year to propose EU legislation preventing publishers from rendering games unplayable after ending support.

The campaign, spearheaded by Ross Scott, aims to hold publishers accountable for server shutdowns, citing Ubisoft's closure of The Crew as a prime example. This shutdown rendered 12 million players' purchases obsolete, highlighting the issue of planned obsolescence in the gaming industry. Similar closures of titles like SYNCED and NEXON's Warhaven further underscore the urgency of the petition.

Scott draws parallels to the silent film era, where film studios destroyed their own films, resulting in the permanent loss of cinematic history. The petition doesn't demand endless support or server hosting but simply requires publishers to leave games in a playable state at the time of shutdown, ensuring access to purchased content. This applies even to free-to-play games with microtransactions, protecting players' investments in in-game purchases.

The initiative clarifies that it does not require: relinquishing intellectual property rights, surrendering source code, providing perpetual support, hosting servers indefinitely, or assuming liability for player actions. The success of Knockout City's transition to a free-to-play model with private server support demonstrates the feasibility of this approach.

The petition, launched in August 2024, has already garnered significant support. While a million signatures are needed, the campaign has a year to reach its goal. Those eligible (European citizens of voting age) can sign the petition on the "Stop Killing Games" website. Even non-Europeans are encouraged to spread awareness of the initiative to create a global impact on the gaming industry.