MMO Game Preservation Efforts Require One Million Signatures to Propose EU Law

Ubisoft's closure of The Crew ignited a European-wide petition to protect online games from similar fates. This article details the petition and its fight to safeguard digital purchases.

European Gamers Unite to Save Online Games

One Million Signatures Needed for EU Law Proposal: "Stop Killing Games"

A significant movement of European gamers is pushing for a citizen's initiative to preserve digital game ownership. The "Stop Killing Games" petition urges the European Union to pass legislation preventing publishers from making games unplayable after ending support.

Ross Scott, a key organizer, is optimistic about the initiative's success, highlighting its alignment with existing consumer protection policies. While the proposed law's enforcement would be limited to Europe, Scott hopes its passage in such a major market will inspire global change, either through similar legislation or industry-wide standards.

However, the path to legal change is challenging. The "European Citizen’s Initiative" requires one million signatures from across Europe within a year to trigger a formal legislative proposal. Eligibility is simple: European citizens of voting age (age varies by country).

Launched in early August, the petition already boasts 183,593 signatures. Although a significant goal remains, the campaign has a year to reach the one million signature milestone.

Holding Publishers Accountable for Server Shutdowns

Ubisoft's sudden shutdown of The Crew's online services in March 2024 highlighted the problem, effectively rendering 12 million players' investments worthless.

The closure of online-only games results in the irretrievable loss of countless hours of gameplay. Even in the first half of 2024, games like SYNCED and NEXON's Warhaven faced similar fates, leaving players with no recourse.

"It's planned obsolescence," Scott explains in his YouTube video. "Publishers destroy games they've already sold, but keep the money." He compares this to the silent film era's loss of films due to silver recovery practices.

The initiative only demands that games remain playable at the time of shutdown. The petition explicitly states that publishers selling or licensing games (or related assets) within the EU must maintain the game's functionality. The method of achieving this is left to the publishers.

The petition even aims to address free-to-play games with microtransactions, stating that the loss of purchased in-game items due to server shutdown is unacceptable.

Knockout City's successful transition to a free-to-play standalone game with private server support serves as a positive example.

However, the initiative does not demand:

⚫︎ Surrender of intellectual property rights ⚫︎ Release of source code ⚫︎ Endless game support ⚫︎ Continued server hosting by publishers ⚫︎ Publisher liability for player actions

Support the "Stop Killing Games" campaign by signing the petition on their website (one signature per person). Country-specific instructions are available to ensure signature validity.

Even non-Europeans can help by spreading awareness. The ultimate goal is to prevent future game closures and create a positive impact on the gaming industry.