Have you ever felt betrayed after spending your hard-earned money on a video game, only to have the publisher abruptly end support, leaving the game unplayable? If so, you’re not alone—and there’s a growing movement fighting back. The 'Stop Killing Games' campaign is taking its battle to the next level by launching official NGOs in the US and EU, aiming to make these frustrating practices illegal once and for all. But here's where it gets controversial: while gamers are rallying behind the cause, not everyone agrees it’s a realistic or fair demand.
This grassroots initiative, which began in 2024 after Ubisoft pulled the plug on the 2014 racing game The Crew, has already made waves. The campaign’s first petition gathered over 1 million signatures, ensuring it will be discussed in the European Parliament. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just gamers who are backing this—high-profile figures like YouTube stars Cr1TiKaL and PewDiePie, Minecraft creator Markus Persson, and even European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Stefanuta have thrown their support behind the movement. As Stefanuta boldly stated, 'A game once sold belongs to the customer.' (https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-game-once-sold-belongs-to-the-customer-prominent-eu-politician-stands-up-for-stop-killing-games/)
According to a recent YouTube video by campaign founder Ross Scott (https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-stop-killing-games-campaign-will-set-up-ngos-in-the-eu-and-us-203359604.html), the new NGOs will push to enshrine these demands into EU law and establish a system for customers to report publishers who revoke access to purchased games. But not everyone is convinced. Intellectual property lawyer Sergio Ferreira argued last year that expecting to play an online-server-dependent game indefinitely is 'unreasonable' (https://www.gamesindustry.biz/the-stop-killing-games-initiative-doesnt-understand-what-its-asking-for-opinion). He pointed out that maintaining older games requires 'constant maintenance and third-party licensing,' adding that 'preserving these experiences isn’t as simple as slapping some files on GitHub and calling it a day.'
While the movement faced a setback when the UK government declined to address 'digital obsolescence' laws in response to its petition (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/702074), its momentum hasn’t slowed. The question remains: Is it fair to demand publishers keep games playable forever, or is this an unrealistic expectation in the digital age? Let us know what you think in the comments—this debate is far from over.
