Stop Killing Games, a petition to cease the games industry’s practice of ‘destroying’ games by closing their servers, has reached 1 million signatures, bringing gamers one step closer to preserving games as well as strengthening game ownership. This consumer movement was first initiated by Ross Scott in 2024, who is fed up with the game industry killing games that players have bought, simply because the company’s servers are required. And while attempts made in other regions were unsuccessful, the European leg of the moment could actually make an impact.
As of writing, there are now over 1.1 million signatures for the European Citizens’ Initiative, and this number continues to rise. Meanwhile, the petition to the UK government has reached over 150,000 signatures. Despite these huge numbers, the petition might need as many as 1.4 million to account for invalid signatures. While only EU and UK citizens can sign this petition, the Stop Killing Games Movement has been endorsed by prominent content creators, such as PewDiePie and Jacksepticeye, who have asked their followers outside of the EU to spread the word. EU citizens have until August 1, 2025 to sign the petition, while the one for the UK Government closes on July 15, 2025.
The Stop Killing Games initiative began in 2024 after Ubisoft discontinued The Crew. This 2014 racing game required an internet connection to play, including its single-player mode. According to a now-deleted article by Ubisoft (via Gamereactor), The Crew accumulated 12 million players by 2017. In 2023, Ubisoft announced that it would be shutting down servers for The Crew, making it unplayable. Additionally, Engadget reported that the game publisher has revoked licenses from players who purchased the game.
On April 3, 2024, Scott Ross announced the launch of the Stop Killing Games initiative, with the hope that games requiring an internet connection can still be playable once their servers are shut down. He called out the industry for having a “terrible track record” of maintaining its own games, offering products that have a short lifespan. One recent example of this is Anthem shutting down its servers after six years, making it unplayable after January 2026. Ross noted that governments around the globe lack laws that address this issue, as it’s relatively new. So, he took action in various regions in hopes of a response and government intervention.
Previously, Ross submitted a petition to the Parliament of Australia, titled “Petition EN6080 – Define & enforce consumers’ ownership rights for digital software.” Despite receiving 10,000 signatures, Hon Stephen Jones MP responded to the petition, stating that they would not act on it. Hopefully, the signatures used for the EU and the UK will prompt government officials to pay attention.
About the Author
Erielle Sudario
If she's not podcasting, Erielle Sudario is seen either playing Baldurs Gate 3, The Sims, or a really cute cozy indie game that she found either in conventions or on TikTok. Outside of gaming, she's either embracing her inner Swiftie, building keyboards, or watching shows/films in theatres or streaming platforms.
