‘Stop Killing Games’ Petition Hits 1.4 Million Signatures, Moves Closer to EU Review

Stop Killing Games

The Stop Killing Games petition has now crossed 1.4 million signatures, a major milestone that puts it firmly on track for a formal review by the European Commission.

This campaign, sparked largely by Ubisoft’s shutdown of The Crew servers in 2024, aims to stop publishers from making purchased games completely unplayable once their servers go offline. It’s not about forcing developers to maintain online support forever, but rather about ensuring that players still have a way to access and play what they’ve already paid for.

By reaching well over the required one million verified signatures, the petition now has a comfortable buffer — just in case some entries are found invalid during the EU’s verification process. And with time still left before the submission deadline, that number could rise even further.

Ross Scott, the creator behind the campaign and the YouTube channel Accursed Farms, shared the news on July 20 with cautious excitement. “We have cleared 1.4 million signatures! I think this means the initiative is all but certain to proceed to the EU Commission,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Scott added that while botnet spoofing could technically pose a threat, more signatures only strengthen the case.

The petition is being run through the official European Citizens’ Initiative system, which means it must now go through verification by authorities in each EU member state. If validated, the next step will be a formal presentation to the European Commission, potentially later this year.

The core message of the petition is pretty straightforward: once you sell a game, don’t take it away completely. The movement asks that publishers provide a reasonable way for titles to remain playable, even if that means offering offline access or allowing fan-hosted servers. It doesn’t demand source code or ongoing support — just a way to preserve games after official support ends.

The growing support behind the campaign hasn’t gone unnoticed in the political world either. Nicolae Ștefănuță, Vice President of the European Parliament, previously threw his weight behind the cause, stating, “A game, once sold, belongs to the customer, not the company.” His endorsement gave the initiative some much-needed credibility within the EU policy space.

But not everyone is thrilled with the idea. Publisher group Video Games Europe has pushed back, arguing that the proposal could limit creative and business flexibility for developers. Similarly, Twitch streamer Pirate Software voiced concerns about the petition’s implications, although some critics have accused him of misrepresenting what the movement actually stands for.

Ubisoft, unsurprisingly, continues to be a focal point of criticism. After pulling the plug on The Crew, players lost access to the entire game, despite having bought it. Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft’s CEO, defended the decision recently by claiming that games, like many digital services, have a natural life cycle and that the company is transparent about that when people buy their titles.

The road ahead isn’t exactly short. After verification, if the initiative is deemed valid, the EU Commission will review the case, possibly leading to public hearings or legislative debates. Even then, any resulting law could take years to draft, vote on, and implement.