According to Video Games Europe, the Stop Killing Games proposals would actually reduce developer flexibility, even as the initiative gains momentum with European gamers.

This past weekend, the Stop Killing Games movement reached a milestone as it officially became a European citizens’ initiative. But not everyone is on board. One group pushing back is Video Games Europe, the EU trade association representing publishers and developers. On Friday, the group released a statement rejecting the campaign’s suggestions. Their position reads:

“We appreciate the passion of our community. However, the decision to discontinue online services is multifaceted and is never taken lightly. It must remain an option for companies when an online experience is no longer commercially viable. We understand that it can be disappointing for players, but when it does happen, the industry ensures that players are given fair notice of prospective changes, in compliance with local consumer protection laws. Private servers are not always a viable alternative for players because the protections we implement to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist, leaving rights holders liable. Additionally, many titles are designed from the ground up to be online only. In effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create. We welcome the opportunity to discuss our position with policymakers and the leaders of the European Citizens Initiative in the coming months.”

Video Games Europe argues that it can be prohibitively expensive for developers and publishers to maintain private servers or single-player modes for titles that lose online multiplayer support. Fan-supported or open-source versions also introduce legal risks—like cybersecurity and moderation. Meanwhile, gamers do pay for these games but rarely get a refund if a game is permanently shut down; in effect, they’re paying for a product that might be taken away at any time. The official Stop Killing Games website puts it this way:

“Stop Killing Games is a consumer movement that challenges the legality of publishers destroying video games they have sold to customers. An increasing number of video games are effectively sold as goods with no expiration date, but are designed to become completely unplayable as soon as the publisher ends support. This practice is a form of planned obsolescence that is detrimental not only to customers but also to preservation efforts. Furthermore, the legality of this practice is largely untested in many countries.”

No matter what Video Games Europe thinks, the movement is clearly gaining traction. Even if changes do come, they would apply only in the EU (and maybe the UK), so publishers and developers could still permanently take games offline in other parts of the world.

Source: PCGamer, Video Games Europe, Stop Killing Games