TL;DR: The Stop Killing Games initiative has spent two years pushing legislators across multiple countries to consider laws that would prevent publishers from rendering full-priced games unplayable. After the European Commission declined the group’s core demand following a closed-door industry meeting, SKG says other avenues remain open.
The European Commission has rejected a petition bearing 1,294,188 verified signatures to propose legislation against making end-of-life premium games permanently unplayable.
The decision is a significant setback for Stop Killing Games, which formally submitted its European Citizens’ Initiative – titled “Stop Destroying Videogames” – to the Commission in January, but the group says it will pursue other routes to strengthen consumer protections in the games industry.
SKG emerged after Ubisoft deactivated the servers for The Crew, leaving the game unplayable for the 12 million players who had accessed it, including some who bought physical copies shortly before they became useless. Ubisoft is currently facing legal action over the shutdown in both California and France.
– Stop Killing Games Official (@StopKilingGames) June 16, 2026
In response to the shutdown, the consumer initiative gathered over 1.3 million verified signatures from European citizens, obligating the Commission to formally consider complaints about planned obsolescence in video games. Lobbying group Video Games Europe, alongside Ubisoft, has strongly opposed SKG, fueling a broader debate over whether a game purchase conveys a product or merely a license to access a service.
Ubisoft, VGE, and the Entertainment Software Association argue that developers should not be required to maintain servers indefinitely and that customers purchase only licenses. SKG accuses the industry of misrepresenting its goal, saying it is only demanding full-priced games remain playable in some form, be it offline modes or privately hosted servers. Furthermore, while Ubisoft believes gamers should “get used to not owning games,” the initiative argues that the debate actually hinges on how long someone who buys a license can expect to retain access.
Despite outspoken support from multiple European politicians, the Commission announced that it would not propose new laws at this time. SKG and other observers noted that Ubisoft and VGE met with the Commission behind closed doors two weeks before the ruling, raising questions about whether industry lobbying shaped the outcome.
– Stop Killing Games Official (@StopKilingGames) June 17, 2026
In its official response, the Commission said it could not propose laws to keep games playable after they are pulled from sale – something SKG says it never demanded – citing existing intellectual property rights, publisher costs, and potential cybersecurity concerns.
Instead, the Commission plans to convene industry and consumer representatives to work toward a voluntary, non-binding code of conduct for end-of-life products by the end of 2026. Possible measures include warnings on store pages for games requiring internet connections and engagement with preservation groups.
SKG remains undeterred. In a press conference, the group explained that it has other paths to appeal to the European Parliament. Some have suggested amending the Digital Fairness Act, a package of consumer protection laws that the EU is currently discussing. It already includes rules against dark patterns, addictive design, misleading pricing, and hard-to-cancel subscriptions.
Meanwhile, in the US, SKG is backing California’s Protect Our Games Act, which has already passed the state Assembly and now heads to the Senate. The bill would require publishers to give 60 days’ notice before shutting down an online game and to either keep it playable through an offline mode or community server support, or issue a full refund.
