Stop Killing Games has reached another important milestone in Europe: after two recent parliamentary debates, there is now a deadline for when the European Commission may respond. The movement aims to stop publishers from making games that customers have already paid for completely unusable, even after their online servers are eventually shut down.

Stop Killing Games has recently been discussed in two debates at the European Parliament, and the talks concluded with the relevant commissioner promising that a statement on the initiative would be issued within days. That alone shows that the movement is no longer just a wave of online outrage, but something that is moving toward a much more serious institutional level. The issue could also reshape the preservation and distribution of multiplayer games and titles primarily built around online experiences, although success is far from guaranteed. Those behind Stop Killing Games are already expecting the European Commission’s response to be cautious, restrained and rather lukewarm.

For anyone who has not been following Stop Killing Games, the goal of the initiative is, in short, to prevent situations like the one seen with The Crew, where a multiplayer game becomes completely unusable after the official servers are shut down. The idea is not to force developers to support online titles forever. Rather, it is about encouraging publishers to implement offline modes and options that would allow the community to take over later, for example through private servers.

The Initiative Is No Longer Just a Fan Campaign

Thanks to Ross Scott, one of the movement’s best-known figures, as well as several politicians who have shown interest in the cause, Stop Killing Games has reached the point where it is being debated in official European Union bodies. The latest development is tied to meetings held at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and a session in the European Parliament, where supporters of the initiative, its critics and several members of parliament all presented their positions.

At the end of the debate, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, promised that a communication on the proposals of Stop Killing Games would be prepared within days. “As European consumers, gamers should have the right to enjoy the digital services they have paid for, as stipulated in their contract and in accordance with reasonable expectations. We also agree that the European video game industry has much to gain by innovating and adapting business models that meet consumer expectations. At the same time, we must emphasize the complexity of the issue at hand. As part of our assessment, we will also examine how the current rules are applied and whether they require further clarification. I therefore hope that various aspects of this issue will be addressed in this debate and that some of the arguments presented at the European Parliament session on April 16 will be further developed. The Commission will then finalize its response in the form of a communication, which will be presented before the summer” – Tzitzikostas said.

However, several members of parliament have pointed out that Tzitzikostas’s promise does not refer to a first draft bill, but only to a simple Commission communication. That is why some fear that the European Commission’s next step will be a restrained response, and that real change will take much longer to arrive. Catarina Vieira, a member of the European body representing the Dutch left-green coalition GroenLinks-PvdA, expressed the same concern.

“The commissioner says he understands the problem, and I’m glad to hear that, but that the Commission isn’t ready to put forward a solution yet. That’s fine. We’ve waited many years for the release of many video games, and sometimes we’ve also waited many years for the publication of major European laws. I just hope we don’t have to wait as long as we waited for GTA 6 to see a proposal from the Commission. And today we talked a lot about our love for video games. What we also cherish in this House is democracy and the right of citizens to express their needs, perspectives, and desires. And this isn’t just about 1.3 million people who signed a petition. After our committee meeting, I received dozens of emails from people saying, ‘This is the first time I’ve seen the European Parliament debate, and I agree with you.’ I’ve received emails from all over the world from people saying, ‘I want Europe to lead on this.’ We may not have been in Le Monde, but we’ve been on Twitch streams, on subreddits. We’ve reached citizens where they are, and this is really what matters to them” – Vieira said.

They Are Ready to Move Forward Even Without the Commission

The whole process was also summarized by Reddit user Mr_Presidentle, who highlighted several interesting statements and final conclusions from the debates surrounding Stop Killing Games. According to those responsible for the initiative, there is almost unanimous support in the European Parliament, but the fact that Tzitzikostas is talking more about communications than actual legislative steps is a reason for caution. The group is therefore prepared to keep pushing the issue forward with or without the Commission’s help.

“The sentiment can be neutrally summarized as follows: only two MEPs expressed some degree of opposition, while others advocated for a ‘balanced approach.’ The majority were firmly in favor and directly called on the Commission to draft new legislation, including members of the governing coalition” – the user wrote. At the same time, they also recalled the words of parliamentarians such as Markéta Gregorová, who said that “it seems the Commission lacks a genuine will to address the issue thoroughly”.

Even so, the plan is for the movement to continue and to ensure that Stop Killing Games can still become a reality, with or without the Commission. Now the next step is to wait for the communication the European Commission will publish before the start of summer, as that may reveal how seriously it is willing to address the issue of digitally purchased games that are later shut down. For players, the question is simple: if they have already paid for a game, how long should the publisher be allowed to keep the switch that can erase it for good?

Source: 3DJuegos