“Stop destroying videogames” – that’s the demand of a new European citizens’ initiative, launched by YouTuber Ross Scott and his “Stop Killing Games” project. Game fans can now register for the citizens’ initiative. The European Commission needs one million expressions of support by July 31, 2025 to address the issue.
Advertisement
Scott and his supporters are in favor of decriminalizing video games. “The initiative calls for publishers who sell or license video games (or related features and accessories) to consumers in the European Union to be required to keep those video games in a functional (playable) condition,” The EU website of the Citizens’ Initiative says,
Streaming deals: Waipu.tv and Paramount+ at 5 euros a month
The initiative came into being when French publisher Ubisoft shut down its MMO racing game “The Crew” on April 1. Because the servers were shut down, the game has been unplayable since then. YouTuber Ross Scott finds this approach not only annoying, but possibly illegal as well. With that “Stop Killing Games” initiative He wants to not only draw attention, but also initiate a legal investigation into the practice.
Supporting the pirates
The organisers around Scott also receive support from the Pirate Party, which already made critical comments about Ubisoft in April. “The closure of ‘The Crew 1′ by Ubisoft is a dangerous example of how gamers’ interests are being ignored. It is unacceptable and probably illegal for companies to first sell popular games for a profit and then close them in the short term,” MEP Pirate Party Patrick Breyer wrote in a statement.
“Every day new video games appear on the market, so when one of them disappears again it seems normal at first,” said Anja Hirschel from the Pirate Party. “However, it’s not just about fans who can’t give up their favourite games. The discussion is more about what should be done with products and functions if the owner is no longer interested in them.”
Many MMOs are no longer playable
The shutdown of older games’ servers is not uncommon in the gaming industry. For many titles, at least the single player mode is retained, but this makes the MMO games completely unplayable. This has happened before with titles such as “Star Wars Galaxies”, “WildStar” and “Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning”. “The Crew” went on sale in 2014, and now it has two successors: “The Crew 2” and “The Crew Motorfest”. Ubisoft justified the shutdown of the first part with “licensing restrictions”.
Video games are a comparatively short-lived medium. Not only servers, but entire stores have gone offline over the years. Furthermore, new systems aren’t always compatible with older titles.
Currently 11,000 people have registered with the citizens’ initiative “Stop Destroying Videogames”. The organizers provide help with filling out the form on their website,
(There)
Super Mario Bros. put to the test: Mario’s best jump ‘n’ run
