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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchStop Killing Games is a campaign launched by YouTuber Ross Scott in 2024. It argues that publishers should not leave games unusable when they discontinue online services those games require. Its European Citizens’ Initiative, formally called “Stop Destroying Videogames,” asked the EU to require publishers selling or licensing games in the EU to leave them functional after support ends. In June 2026, the European Commission declined to propose that general legal duty, but said it would begin discussions with industry and consumer representatives by the end of 2026 about a possible code of conduct.
What is the Stop Killing Games controversy?
The controversy is about what should happen to a game when the publisher ends the online service needed to play it. A game bought up front may rely on publisher-operated servers or other online services; depending on the game, ending those services can remove some features or make the entire game unusable. Players may also lose access after investing time or money in the game, including on in-game items.
The disagreement is not simply over whether publishers may stop updating games. It concerns whether publishers should have to preserve a functional way to play when they discontinue a required service—and whether that should be imposed by law or handled through existing consumer protections and industry practices.
What does Ross Scott’s campaign want?
The public campaign is called Stop Killing Games. Its related European Citizens’ Initiative is formally named “Stop Destroying Videogames.” The initiative asked the EU to require publishers that sell or license games in the EU to leave them in a functional state when commercial support ends, so that publishers cannot remotely disable them.
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The request is framed around preserving functionality, not requiring publishers to keep operating every service indefinitely. The available official materials establish the initiative’s general request; they do not establish detailed technical proposals personally endorsed by Scott for different kinds of games.
What happened to the European Citizens’ Initiative?
After verification, the initiative was submitted to the European Commission for examination on 26 January 2026. The Commission reports 1,294,188 verified statements of support, with the required thresholds reached in 24 Member States.
In a response adopted on 16 June 2026, the Commission did not propose the requested general legal obligation to keep games playable after they stop being provided commercially. Instead, it said it would start a stakeholder exchange by the end of 2026 with video game industry and consumer representatives to explore a possible industry-led code of conduct for games’ end of life and clearer consumer information. As of 8 October 2026, the exchange was a planned step, not an adopted code or new law.
How do the two policy approaches differ?
| Question | Initiative’s requested legal duty | Commission’s stated approach |
|---|---|---|
| Enforceability | A general legal obligation would make the preservation requirement a rule for covered publishers. | No such general obligation was proposed in the June 2026 response; the Commission pointed to existing consumer safeguards and a planned discussion about a possible industry-led code. |
| Access after service termination | Publishers would have to leave games functional when support ends. | The response did not establish a new guarantee of continued playability after service termination. |
| Transparency | The initiative’s request focuses on preserving functionality; the cited summary does not specify a separate disclosure regime. | The Commission says consumers should be informed if a game depends on external servers and could become inoperable if those servers are discontinued. |
| Publisher obligations | A general legal duty would impose a preservation requirement when commercial support ends. | The planned exchange would explore an industry-led end-of-life code; no code’s requirements had been adopted as of 8 October 2026. |
The Commission’s response also records strong reservations about a general legal obligation from industry representatives Video Games Europe and the European Games Developer Federation. That is the position attributed to those representatives in the Commission’s account, not evidence that all developers share it.
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The Commission says existing EU consumer law already provides important safeguards. Its response says consumers should be told when a game relies on external servers and could become inoperable if those servers are discontinued. It also refers to consumer redress rights for digital content and services, including games, applicable since 1 January 2022.
This is the Commission’s account of the legal framework, not a promise that every player affected by a shutdown automatically qualifies for a remedy. Whether a consumer has a claim depends on the circumstances and applicable rules.
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Does stopping support make every game unplayable?
No. The effect depends on the game and how much it relies on the publisher’s servers. A shutdown may remove online features while leaving other parts playable, or it may make the game partially or entirely unusable. The Commission describes the possible consumer impact as losing access to a game acquired through an upfront payment, or in which a player spent time and money, including on in-game items.
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