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The “Stop Killing Games” movement has reached an important goal by collecting enough signatures to push for new laws in the United Kingdom. This effort, which focuses on stopping video games from being shut down and made unplayable, will finally be seen by the UK Parliament.
This initiative started in 2024 when gaming content creator Scott Ross launched the movement. Since then, the Stop Killing Games campaign has gained strong support and may change the laws of the UK and the EU. The UK petition, which was created to bring this issue to the government, aimed for 100,000 signatures. Now, it has far surpassed that number, with over 130,000 signatures and still growing.
Reaching 100,000 signatures is a big deal in the UK because under the petition system, it means the government must consider debating new laws. The goal of this potential law is to stop game publishers from shutting down games that customers have already bought. If successful, the Stop Killing Games movement could help create stronger legal protections for digital purchases, making sure that buying a game means you can keep playing it and come closer to truly owning it, even if the publisher stops supporting its online features.
The main issue the “Stop Killing Games” movement is fighting against is the way publishers sometimes make games unplayable after people have bought them. Many newer games only work if they are connected to online servers. This creates a problem for players because if a company decides to shut down those servers, the game can no longer be played, even if you paid for it.
The petition argues that when games are sold, they should not have an expiration date, but often, their design means they stop working when the publisher no longer supports them. This is seen as a form of planned obsolescence, which hurts buyers who lose access to their purchased product and also makes it much harder to preserve games for the future. Right now, the legality of this practice is unclear in many countries, which is why petitions like this exist.
Outside the UK, the Stop Killing Games movement is also making progress through the European Citizens’ Initiative. This separate petition has done even better, gathering over one million signatures. This European effort is especially powerful because if it meets its goal, the European Commission must respond, which is responsible for many countries. There is a good chance this could lead to new laws protecting consumers’ rights to keep their games and helping with game preservation.
If a major economy like the European Union passes laws to preserve digital purchases, it could have a global impact. Due to how markets work, publishers might change their policies worldwide to match these rules, helping players everywhere. While only certain citizens can sign these petitions, spreading awareness is still important for people in other countries who want to support the cause of keeping games playable.
The UK campaign will focus on the lawmaking process next. Now that the petition has enough signatures, the issue will move to Parliament, where lawmakers will discuss whether new rules are needed to stop planned obsolescence in games.
Source: UK Parliament
