The ‘Stop Killing Games’ initiative has failed in the EU – but there is hope
The European Commission has rejected the ‘Stop Killing Games’ citizens’ initiative and is relying on voluntary measures. Whilst gamers in Europe are left empty-handed, legal opposition is taking shape in the USA.
Last year, the citizens’ initiative ‘ «: Stop Killing Games’» collected around 1.3 million signatures across the EU. The aim of the initiative is for the EU to introduce new legislation to prevent publishers from making games unplayable once their support period has expired. The initiative thus secured significantly more signatures than the one million required to bring the issue before the European Commission.
However, the Commission has now rejected the initiative. According to the Commission, new legal requirements would disproportionately interfere with publishers’ copyright and the industry’s freedom to conduct business. Furthermore, developers’ trade secrets would be at risk, and making the games available on private servers could pose security risks.
In other words: The EU is rejecting a legislative change in favour of consumers in the EU. The authority refers to existing directives, which are already intended to strike an appropriate balance between consumer protection and the industry’s interests.
A voluntary code of conduct as a compromise?
As a kind of compromise, it proposes drawing up a voluntary code of conduct for the games industry. This could, for example, set out guidelines on how and when players are to be informed about the imminent shutdown of a game. In the shop, gamers could be informed of a possible future shutdown as early as when they purchase a game.
Ways to strengthen partnerships between publishers and cultural institutions to preserve games for posterity could also be included in the code.
However, publishers would not be obliged to adhere to this. At the end of 2026, the Commission intends to initiate a dialogue between consumer protection organisations and industry representatives.
A predictable rejection
The initiator of the ‘ «’ Stop Killing Games» campaign, YouTuber Ross Scott, is not surprised by the Commission’s response. A few days before the announcement, he had already explained in a video why he had anticipated this outcome.
He reports that the three meetings with EU representatives had not gone well. The same fundamental questions kept cropping up, questions that had already been answered in the submission. In Scott’s view, the representatives showed little understanding of the aims and proposed solutions put forward by the ‘ «’ Stop Killing Games» initiative.
Scott also sees an imbalance in the attention given to representatives from both sides: There had been significantly more frequent meetings with members of the lobby organisation ‘ «’ (Video Games Europe;» ) than with the organisers of the citizens’ initiative. The parliamentarians had even met several times with the US industry lobby ‘ «’ (Entertainment Software Association;» (ESA)).
Furthermore, the compromise proposals submitted by the Commission in the run-up to the vote had failed to address the core issue. These are essentially the same proposals that now feature in the voluntary code of conduct.
Hope for «Stop Killing Games» – in California
The cause championed by «Stop Killing Games» is not limited to Europe. The organisers are trying to spread their activities as widely as possible. There have also been initiatives in the United Kingdom and in individual US states. After all, even regional legislative changes would send a strong signal.
The greatest progress in the USA has been made by the «Assembly Bill 1921» (also: «Protect our Games Act») in California. The bill was tabled in February 2026. In May, the California Assembly passed the bill by a large majority (43 votes to 16).
The ‘ «’ Protect our Games Act» is currently before the California State Senate for further discussion and a vote. If it secures a majority there, the Governor of California will still have to sign the new law into force.
The draft bill provides for players in California to have significantly stronger rights regarding games they purchase from January 2027 onwards. Of particular interest from the perspective of «Stop Killing Games» is the provision stating that, with a few exceptions, game providers must offer buyers one of the following options when a game is discontinued: Either a version of the game that works independently of the operator’s services, or a patch that enables independent use, or, as a third option, a full refund of the purchase price.
However, there is currently strong opposition from the lobby organisation ESA. It is therefore unclear whether there will be significant changes to the draft or whether the law will be passed at all in any form. Updates are expected in late summer or autumn.
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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