The large gaming campaign “Stop Killing Games” has just reached a crucial milestone and is now going before the institutions of the European Union. The citizen initiative, launched by players across Europe with the aim of protecting the digital games they have purchased, has managed to gather 1,294,188 verified signatures, significantly more than the required one million signatures for the initiative to be formally considered by the European Commission.
The goal of the initiative is to stop the practice of shutting down online game servers and thereby preventing access to the game even for those who have legally purchased it. It advocates for publishers to ensure in advance that games remain playable — at least in basic offline mode — after official support and servers are deactivated. The initiators emphasize that games are not just software, but also cultural goods that deserve preservation.
The initiative has already prompted political reactions: in the United Kingdom, the petition was discussed in Parliament, and the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Nicolae Ștefănuță, publicly supported the campaign, emphasizing that purchased games should belong to players and not disappear with the shutdown of servers.
A formal process now follows: after the verification of signatures by national bodies, the organizers will submit the initiative to the Commission, which will have six months to decide whether to propose legislative measures. If this happens, the proposal could pave the way for new rules on the protection of digital consumer rights in the EU, including the obligation for publishers to plan "end-of-life" support for games.
