European Parliament Takes 'First Step' on Stop Killing Games With Expert Workshop

The European Parliament has taken its first official step toward debating the future of digital game ownership. On September 25, 2025, the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) approved a request from Polish MEP Piotr Müller to hold a special expert workshop dedicated to the "Stop Killing Games" initiative.

Piotr Müller is a Polish politician and lawyer serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Poland since July 2024. As an MEP, Müller also serves on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), where he acts as the ECR Coordinator.

A 'First Step' in the Parliament

“This is a very important decision of the coordinators and a response to the voice of many citizens,” Müller explained in his announcement. “The initiative has already collected over a million signatures. We want to protect consumers and take the signals coming from all over Europe seriously.”

For the campaign, this workshop marks the first time the issue will be formally addressed within the European Parliament.

Launched by Ross Scott, the creator behind Accursed Farms, "Stop Killing Games" calls on lawmakers to prevent publishers from shutting down access to purchased titles once online servers are discontinued. The campaign argues that games should be treated as consumer goods rather than temporary services.

“A player who has legally purchased a game should not lose it just because the company has shut down the servers,” Müller said. “The economic calculation is understandable, but why prevent bottom-up initiatives, especially when the publisher has lost interest in the product? This is not a trivial matter, but a matter of trust in the entire digital market.”

The petition has gained major support, collecting more than 1.45 million signatures across the EU before the July 31, 2025 deadline. Since the official requirement was only one million, organizers continued collecting signatures to safeguard against invalid entries. With nearly 97% of signatures verified as valid so far, the petition remains in a strong position.

Müller’s backing of the initiative dates back to earlier this year, when he first emphasized the “need for discussion” around digital ownership.

Why the Workshop Matters

The upcoming IMCO workshop will bring together experts, lawmakers, and representatives from the "Stop Killing Games" campaign to explore how best to balance consumer rights with industry practices. Müller stressed that while gamers are deeply familiar with the issue, many politicians are not.

“From my youngest years, I have been interested in digital solutions and new technologies, and computer games were one of the first areas I encountered them,” he said. “That’s why I understand this problem well. However, I know that many MEPs are not familiar with this environment. Therefore, the workshop will help not only to work out a solution to the problem, but also to raise awareness in the European Parliament.”

Beyond the workshop, IMCO has also committed to commissioning a comprehensive report on this matter, covering broader issues such as artificial intelligence and robotics. This document will provide the foundation for "further legislative work and discussions."

“After getting acquainted with the issue, I can clearly see that there is a need for political initiative and support to address this problem in a meaningful way,” Müller concluded. “I intend to use the tools available in Parliament to find a solution to this problem.”

While we may not see an immediate law, the recognition of "Stop Killing Games" at this level shows that the conversation has officially entered the halls of the European Parliament. For the millions of gamers who signed the initiative, that in itself is a milestone.

In related news, the UK Parliament will also debate the "Stop Killing Games" petition on November 3, 2025. The UK petition, which ran in parallel with the EU campaign, closed on July 14, 2025, with 189,888 signatures, well above the 100,000 threshold required for a formal debate.