European gamers rally to protect purchased games from shutdowns

Already, a quarter of a million people have signed the initiative that obligates developers to "not kill" sold games. Will the European Citizens' Initiative gather the necessary one million signatures?

As part of the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), signatures are being collected for an initiative aimed at curbing the practice of developers "destroying" games. The goal is to implement regulations that prevent video game creators from disabling access to their products for customers who have purchased them.

Currently, video games, from the very beginning of the development process, are created in such a way that they are meant to die at some point. This applies not only to typical multiplayer service games but also to single-player options. Recently, the highly popular game "The Crew" from Ubisoft was switched off, and players lost the ability to play it. It's probably to force players to buy the second part… which will also die someday.

The petition organisers emphasize, "The initiative does not seek to acquire ownership of said videogames, associated intellectual rights or monetization rights." They do not expect to keep the game on servers indefinitely and support its functionality, which involves costs. They propose that after removal from the servers, there should be, for example, an option to play offline. The creators of this initiative want "the bare minimum", so there are the fewest elements of doubt and controversy.

Launched on 31 July at 12:00 GMT, the petition "Stop Destroying Videogames" has gathered nearly 250,000 signatures. The initiative's authors have exactly one year to complete the required million. Therefore, it is very likely that this ECI will gain official power. What does this mean in practice? The European Commission will have to respond to the proposals contained within it within six months.

European Citizens' Initiative has been operating since 2011. Under this rule, when seven people from seven different EU countries submit a project and then collect one million signatures for its implementation, the initiative is submitted to the European Commission. It is also necessary to achieve specific thresholds in at least seven member countries. The Commission's response takes the form of a communication officially adopted by the College of Commissioners and published in all official languages of the EU. Representatives of the Commission also meet with the organisers to explain the decision regarding the initiative in detail.