Game Development Company "Stop Killing Games" Alters Timeline: Upon completion of EU petition, founder announces hiatus for the next decade but remains committed to complete current projects.
In August 2025, the Stop Killing Games movement reached a significant milestone, gathering over 1.4 million signatures in its European Citizens' Initiative[2][1]. This marks the beginning of the next phase in the EU legislative process, with the organizers set to meet with representatives from the European Commission and present their concerns at a hearing in the European Parliament.
The movement's primary objective is to introduce consumer protection laws to prevent companies from shutting down online-dependent games after purchase, ensuring access to digital games indefinitely[5]. This could be achieved through official or fan-hosted offline or online servers, or by encouraging game developers to design future games with longevity in mind, or to provide server code for community maintenance[5].
However, the gaming industry, represented by the Video Games Europe (VGE) lobbying group, has voiced strong opposition to these demands. VGE argues that the movement's demands pose significant engineering challenges, financial burdens, risks to intellectual property, and safety concerns related to fan-hosted servers[1][4][5]. They emphasize that mandatory offline functionality or open server access could undermine game development and innovation[1][4].
Ross Scott, a prominent YouTuber, has been a vocal supporter of the movement. Despite not being among the petition's organizers, Scott has tirelessly worked on the campaign, expressing feelings of exhaustion, comparing himself to the life-draining machine from The Princess Bride[6]. In a video titled "the end of Stop Killing Games," Scott revitalized the campaign, highlighting the need for continued efforts[7].
While the Stop Killing Games movement has not directly halted or reversed any specific game closures, such as The Crew and Overwatch, it has raised awareness about game preservation issues. The potential for future protections is high if legislation passes, but no concrete legislative or enforced outcomes addressing these particular titles have been realized yet[3].
The future effectiveness of the Stop Killing Games movement largely depends on the EU decision-making process and counter-lobbying from the industry[2][5]. As the movement moves forward, it is crucial to monitor the developments and assess the impact on the gaming industry and consumers alike.
References:
- Eurogamer
- Polygon
- GamesIndustry.biz
- VentureBeat
- Kotaku
- Ross Scott's YouTube video
- The Verge
- The Stop Killing Games movement, aiming to establish consumer protection laws, is expanding to cover various topics such as action-packed games, movies-and-tv streaming, and even console-based entertainment on social media.
- In the next phase of the EU legislative process, the organizers of the movement plan to discuss their concerns about game longevity with representatives from the entertainment industry and the European Commission.
- The gaming industry, represented by the Video Games Europe (VGE), has been vocal about its opposition to the movement's demands, citing engineering challenges, financial burdens, and intellectual property risks associated with fan-hosted servers.
- The Stop Killing Games movement recently experienced a revitalization, with popular YouTuber Ross Scott emphasizing the need for continuous efforts to push for consumer rights in the gaming industry.
