The battle between game preservation advocates and the industry has reached a boiling point, thanks to the Stop Killing Games initiative. Founded by YouTuber Ross Scott, the movement is pushing for legislation in the UK and EU that would prevent developers from rendering purchased games unplayable when servers go offline.
Scott’s mission began when Ubisoft shut down The Crew, making it inaccessible to all players. Despite that, his petition has now gathered over 1 million signatures, signaling that gamers are serious about preserving what they’ve paid for.
Though Scott acknowledges that some signatures may not be genuine, the momentum has pushed the issue into the industry’s face.
The publishers have responded through Video Games Europe, a group representing giants like EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and Microsoft. Their statement argues that meeting the initiative’s demands would make creating online games “prohibitively expensive.” They cite legal, security, and design complications as reasons why allowing private servers or offline options isn’t feasible.
But critics aren’t buying it. Scott clarified that no one’s demanding companies keep online games running forever. Instead, they want publishers to offer a responsible transition-either by enabling private servers or releasing offline versions-so players can still access what they paid for. After all, customers aren’t asking for ongoing support, just the ability to play a game they own.
Gamers point out how easy it would be for publishers to release stripped-down server software or implement simple checks to disable online-only features while leaving the rest of the game playable. As many note, games like The Division 2 or Destiny could offer solo campaign modes even after official servers go offline. It’s not rocket science; it’s just a matter of corporate will.
Some publishers fear that enabling legacy online games might interfere with the commercial push for sequels. After all, if players still enjoy The Crew, why upgrade to The Crew 2? Yet that argument only fuels the belief that planned obsolescence is at the heart of the industry’s resistance.
The window for the petition is closing, and the road to legislation is still long. But regardless of the outcome, the Stop Killing Games initiative has already succeeded in forcing the industry to confront its long-ignored accountability to players. Whether through public pressure or policy change, gamers are demanding lasting access to the products they purchase-and they’re not backing down.