Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew ignited a European petition demanding an end to similar closures of multiplayer games. This article explores the petition and its fight to protect players' digital investments.
EU Gamers Fight to 'Stop Killing Games'
'Stop Killing Games' Petition Needs One Million Signatures Within a Year
A significant movement of European gamers is backing a citizen's initiative to safeguard digital purchases. The "Stop Killing Games" petition urges the European Union to legislate against game publishers shutting down games and rendering them unplayable after ending support.
Ross Scott, a key organizer, is confident of success, highlighting the initiative's alignment with existing consumer protection policies. While the proposed law's enforcement would be limited to Europe, Scott hopes its success in this major market will inspire global change, either through similar legislation or industry-wide standards.
The path to law, however, is challenging. The campaign must navigate the European Citizen's Initiative process, needing one million signatures across various European countries to submit a formal legislative proposal. Eligibility is simple: European citizens of voting age (age varies by country).
Launched in early August, the petition has already garnered 183,593 signatures. Though a significant undertaking remains, the campaign has a year to reach its goal.
Holding Publishers Accountable for Server Shutdowns
Ubisoft's abrupt termination of The Crew's online services in March 2024, impacting 12 million players, brought this issue into sharp focus. The closure effectively erased millions of hours of player investment.
The reality is stark: when servers for online-only games go offline, countless hours of playtime and in-game purchases are lost. Even in the first half of 2024, games like SYNCED and NEXON's Warhaven faced similar closures, leaving players with nothing to show for their investment.
"It's a form of planned obsolescence," Scott stated in a YouTube video. "Publishers are destroying games they've already sold, but keeping your money," drawing a parallel to the silent film era where studios destroyed films to recover silver.
The initiative's request is simple: "leave the game in a working state at the time of shutdown." The proposed law would mandate that publishers selling or licensing games (or related assets) in the EU maintain the game in a playable state upon shutdown, leaving the method of achieving this to the publishers.
The initiative also seeks accountability for free-to-play games with microtransactions, arguing that lost microtransactions represent lost goods. Knockout City's shutdown and subsequent release as a free-to-play game with private server support serves as a positive example.
However, the initiative does not demand: giving up intellectual property rights, relinquishing source code, providing endless support, hosting servers indefinitely, or assuming liability for player actions.
To support the campaign, visit the "Stop Killing Games" website and sign the petition (one signature per person). Country-specific instructions are available to prevent signature invalidations.
Even non-European residents can help by spreading awareness, aiming to create a ripple effect across the gaming industry to prevent future game closures.
