EU Parliament Supports Stop Killing Games and Right to Repair

European Parliament members have expressed support for the Stop Killing Games initiative, which advocates for a legal “right to repair” for video games to ensure they remain playable after publishers discontinue online services. The movement, launched in April 2024 by Ross Scott following the shutdown of Ubisoft’s The Crew, seeks to preserve video games by requiring publishers to make them functional even after official support ends.

The initiative, formally known as the European Citizens’ Initiative “Stop Destroying Videogames,” has gathered approximately 1.3 million verified signatures from EU citizens, meeting the threshold required for formal consideration by the European Commission. This level of public support underscores growing concern over the industry practice of selling games as revocable licenses rather than permanent products.

Stop Killing Games argues that the current model undermines consumer protection principles upheld by EU institutions and threatens the long-term preservation of video games as cultural works. The group contends that games requiring constant internet connections for single-player functionality, like The Crew, should remain accessible to players who have purchased them, even after servers are shut down.