A European Union petition demanding publishers maintain the playability of online games after server shutdowns is gaining significant traction. The initiative, aiming for one million signatures, has already surpassed its national thresholds in seven EU countries. Learn more about this important movement!
European Gamers Unite Against Game Abandonment
Nearly 40% of the Signature Goal Achieved
The "Stop Destroying Video Games" petition has achieved remarkable success, exceeding signature targets in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. This impressive response has yielded 397,943 signatures – a significant 39% of the one million signature goal.
Launched in June, the petition addresses the growing concern of games becoming unplayable following the termination of publisher support. The initiative advocates for legislation requiring publishers to ensure continued functionality of online games even after official closure, preventing the remote disabling of purchased games.
As stated in the petition: "This initiative calls for publishers selling or licensing videogames in the EU to maintain said videogames in a playable state. It seeks to prevent publishers from remotely disabling videogames without providing reasonable means for continued functionality independent of the publisher."
The petition cites the shutdown of Ubisoft's The Crew in March 2024 as a prime example. Despite a substantial player base (over 12 million worldwide), server closures rendered the game unplayable, sparking outrage among players and even leading to lawsuits in California alleging consumer protection violations.
While the petition still needs significant support to reach its goal, EU citizens of voting age have until July 31st, 2025, to add their signatures. Although non-EU citizens cannot sign, they can help spread awareness and encourage participation.
