The Stop Killing Games petition just passed 1 million signatures in the EU, forcing lawmakers to respond.
Just over a year ago, a YouTuber named Ross Scott kicked off the Stop Killing Games campaign, a push to stop companies from making paid games completely unplayable once they shut down servers. It started small, but over the past few weeks, the petition has gained serious momentum.
A wave of support from creators like MoistCr1TiKaL and others helped it reach hundreds of thousands of people. Add in the community’s frustration over always-online games being taken away for good, and you’ve got a movement that really hit a nerve.
And now, it’s done it: the EU petition for Stop Killing Games has officially crossed 1 million signatures. That’s not just a symbolic win; it means the European Commission is now legally required to respond.
Stop Killing Games Petition Hits Major Milestone
This milestone was confirmed on the official European Citizens’ Initiative website. That platform tracks citizen-led petitions that, if they reach 1 million validated signatures from EU citizens, must be reviewed by the European Commission.
In short, the Stop Killing Games petition is now impossible to ignore.
The campaign asks the EU to require game publishers to leave their games in a “reasonably functional” state if they shut down official servers. That could mean adding offline play, or allowing private servers. It doesn’t demand the source code or any rights to the games, just a way to make sure people who bought them can still play.
Now that the petition has met the legal threshold, here’s what happens next:
- The European Commission meets with the organizers
- A public hearing will be held in the European Parliament
- The Commission will then decide how to act, whether that’s proposing new laws or explaining why they won’t
Check out the official petition description below:
“This initiative calls to require publishers that sell or license videogames to consumers in the European Union (or related features and assets sold for videogames they operate) to leave said videogames in a functional (playable) state.
“Specifically, the initiative seeks to prevent the remote disabling of videogames by the publishers, before providing reasonable means to continue functioning of said videogames without the involvement from the side of the publisher.”
The UK version of the petition also passed 100,000 signatures, which means it will now be debated in the UK Parliament as well. The window to sign is still open until July 14.
This has become a real turning point. The campaign started with frustration over one game, but it’s grown into something much bigger, a fight for basic consumer rights in the digital age.
What do you think? Should game publishers be required to keep games playable after servers go offline? Let us know in the comments.
