Dozens of MEPs Write to European Commission Urging Legislative Action on Stop Killing Games

Key Highlights:

• 45 Members of the European Parliament signed a formal letter supporting Stop Killing Games.

• The lawmakers want "concrete" rules preventing publishers from disabling games consumers have already paid for.

• The proposal does not require companies to keep official servers running forever.

• The letter supports alternatives such as private servers and peer-to-peer solutions where possible.

• MEPs warned that ignoring the initiative would "send a catastrophic signal" to EU citizens.

• Lawmakers referenced California's Protect Our Games Act as an example of growing consumer protection efforts.

• The European Commission is expected to deliver its official response on June 16, 2026.

Dozens of Members of the European Parliament have formally called on the European Commission to introduce legislation that would stop video game publishers from deliberately disabling games that consumers have already paid for.

On June 9, 2026, around 45 MEPs from across multiple political groups sent a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, and Commissioner Michael McGrath.

The letter demands a "concrete legislative proposal" addressing the concerns raised by the Stop Destroying Video Games European Citizens' Initiative (ECI).

The timing is deliberate. The European Commission is due to issue its official response to the initiative on June 16, 2026, and the MEPs are making their position clear before that deadline arrives.

What Does the Letter Actually Say?

The letter does not mince words. The signatories write that a failure to act would "send a catastrophic signal to all EU citizens and discredit the instrument of the European Citizens' Initiative as a whole." That is a fairly strong statement coming from elected lawmakers across the political spectrum, ranging from the S&D and Greens to the EPP, Renew, Left, and non-attached members.

"We write to express our strong support for the European Citizens' Initiative Stop Destroying Video Games. While we welcome the Commission's announcement of a communication in response to the initiative, we are deeply concerned that the Commission has not committed to any legislative action so far, and we call upon you to present a concrete legislative proposal to address the concerns raised as soon as possible," the letter said.

"When nearly 1.3 million EU citizens are calling on the European institutions to take decisive action, it is our obligation to listen and to act. We strongly believe that dragging our feet in this matter would send a catastrophic signal to all EU citizens and discredit the instrument of the European Citizens' Initiative as a whole."

"Video games are digital products for which consumers have paid. It is unacceptable that these products are deliberately rendered unusable after the end of support by their publishers. The practice of disabling or destroying paid-for games, whether through server shutdowns, forced updates, or other technical interventions, undermines consumer trust and contradicts the principles of fairness and transparency that underpin the EU's digital single market."

The letter also lays out the four core demands of the Stop Destroying Video Games initiative:

• Preservation of Purchased Products: Games that have been lawfully purchased must not be deliberately made unusable after the end of support. Consumers have a right to expect that the products they pay for remain functional, even if no further updates or new content are provided.

• No Mandate for Perpetual Services: Publishers are not required to maintain free servers indefinitely or provide unlimited updates. The focus is solely on ensuring that existing, paid-for products are not retroactively disabled or destroyed.

• Prohibition of Unilateral Interference: Any post-purchase intervention that deliberately renders a game unusable on a user's device must be prohibited.

• Technical Feasibility: Private servers, peer-to-peer solutions, and community hosting are established alternatives. Disabling a game is often a business choice, not a technical necessity, and publishers should not be allowed to hide behind that excuse.

The MEPs also referenced developments outside the EU to strengthen their case. California's Protect Our Games Act has just passed a floor vote. That bill would require publishers to either allow use of a game in perpetuity or offer a refund once a game becomes inaccessible. The European lawmakers used this as a direct prompt, arguing that the "EU should not lag behind but instead take the lead" on consumer protections in the digital market.

How Did We Get Here?

The Stop Destroying Video Games campaign was originally launched in April 2024 by Ross Scott, following Ubisoft's shutdown of the online racing game The Crew. What started as one person's response to losing access to a game he had paid for grew into one of the most significant consumer rights movements the gaming industry has seen in recent years.

The ECI collected over 1.29 million verified signatures across EU member states, well above the one million threshold required for official parliamentary scrutiny. It was formally submitted in February 2026.

From there, the initiative moved through the EU's institutional process. On April 16, the European Commission's parliamentary committees held a public hearing, a smaller and more specialised meeting where experts, campaign organisers, and stakeholders present their case directly to committee members. Ross Scott attended the hearing in person, alongside fellow campaign organisers and legal experts who made the case for new regulation directly to parliamentarians.

Then, on May 21, the initiative reached the full plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. That is a different stage entirely from a committee hearing. The plenary is the main floor of the Parliament, where most of the 720 MEPs come together, and discussions at that level carry real legislative weight.

What About the Industry?

The timing of the MEP letter also comes in the context of some tension around industry lobbying. The week prior, Video Games Europe (VGE), which represents major publishers in the European market, held an "invitation-only" private meeting to discuss the future of the European gaming market. The Ubisoft CEO was among those present.

Stop Killing Games openly criticized the meeting, pointing out that VGE had previously rejected the movement. They argued that VGE was "misrepresenting" the initiative’s demands to intentionally undermine it.

What Comes Next?

The June 16 response from the European Commission is now the key date to watch. Commissioner Michael McGrath had previously confirmed that the Commission would issue its official response to the initiative on that date. The MEPs have made their expectations clear before that response drops, calling on the Commission to go beyond a communication and commit to an actual legislative proposal.

Whether the Commission follows through with binding legislation remains to be seen. But with nearly 1.3 million signatures, a full plenary debate, and now a formal letter from across the political spectrum, the Stop Destroying Video Games initiative has built more institutional momentum than most ECI campaigns ever manage.

I’d like to quote MEP Catarina Vieira, one of the 45 signatories of the letter, from her Plenary Session speech to understand the importance of this movement:

"We have waited many years for many amazing video games to come about, and we have also sometimes waited many years for great European laws to come. I just hope we do not have to wait as long as we have been waiting for GTA 6 to see a proposal from the Commission. And today we have spoken a lot about loving video games. What we also love in this house is democracy and citizens' rights to have their needs and desires expressed. This is not just about 1.3 million signing a petition. After our committee meeting, I received dozens of emails from people saying this was the first time they watched the European Parliament speak and they agreed with us. I received emails from around the world of people saying they want to see the EU lead on this. We might not have been quoted on mainstream gaming media, but we were on the Twitch streams. We were on the subreddits. We were reaching citizens where they are. And this is really what citizens care about. So I am really proud to support this initiative and I deeply hope that the Commission will come forward with a proposal."