EU Law Petition Urges Protection for MMO Games

European Gamers Launch Petition to Save Digital Games from Server Shutdowns

A European citizen's initiative, "Stop Killing Games," is demanding EU legislation to protect players' investments in online games. The petition, aiming for one million signatures within a year, seeks to prevent publishers from shutting down servers and rendering games unplayable after ending support. This follows Ubisoft's controversial shutdown of The Crew, impacting 12 million players.

The initiative, spearheaded by Ross Scott, argues that server shutdowns constitute a form of planned obsolescence, effectively destroying players' purchases while retaining their money. Scott draws parallels to the lost films of the silent era, highlighting the irretrievable loss of player investment in online-only games. He emphasizes that the proposed law would only require publishers to leave the game in a playable state at the time of shutdown, not to provide ongoing support or relinquish intellectual property.

The petition specifically targets both paid and free-to-play games with microtransactions, arguing that the loss of access to purchased in-game items constitutes a loss of goods. While acknowledging that publishers are not obligated to provide endless support, host servers indefinitely, or relinquish source code, the initiative seeks to hold publishers accountable for the functionality of games at the point of server closure. The example of Knockout City, which transitioned to a free-to-play model with private server support after shutdown, is cited as a potential model.

The campaign has already garnered significant support, exceeding 183,593 signatures since its August launch. While a significant number of signatures remain needed, the one-year timeframe provides ample opportunity to reach the million-signature goal. The petition is open to all EU citizens of voting age, with country-specific instructions available on the "Stop Killing Games" website to ensure signature validity. Even non-European supporters are encouraged to spread awareness of the initiative.

The success of this initiative could set a crucial precedent, potentially influencing global industry standards and practices regarding the preservation of digital game purchases.