“Stop Killing Games” Reaches European Parliament as Lawmakers Consider Action

Logging onto YouTube today and seeing the European Parliament’s public hearing on the Stop Killing Games movement was a welcome surprise. The founder of the consumer advocacy initiative, Ross Scott, bravely sat in the EU Parliament to discuss the issue. Back in January, the Stop Killing Games petition reached 1 million signatures across various European countries. The next step was the public hearing, which has now reached the public hearing stage.

In the hour-long public hearing, Ross Scott and EU lawmakers discussed the importance of digital game purchases remaining functional. Fundamentally, the movement is about protecting consumer rights. Scott’s following statement particularly resonated with those watching at home and the parliament members:

“When we say a game has been destroyed, what we mean is a publisher has permanently disabled all copies of it that have been sold, so no one can ever play them again.”

Scott further stated that consumers suffer from a lack of protection when buying games, as they are uncertain of when support will end, rendering purchased games unplayable.

What Happens Next?

For those unfamiliar, the Stop Killing Games movement gained traction after Ubisoft shut down The Crew , an always-online title that became unplayable once servers were taken offline—even for solo play., removed from their libraries, or just downright unplayable due to the fact that it was an always-online game. Yes, that means you can’t even cruise around solo, because the game needs to connect to the server to function. This made The Crew one of the most enjoyable racing games that are now unplayable.

The hearing marks a significant step for the Stop Killing Games movement, bringing the issue of digital ownership and game preservation directly to lawmakers. While the initiative focuses on ensuring purchased games remain playable after support ends, it also reflects broader concerns about consumer rights in an increasingly digital marketplace. During the session, European Parliament Vice Chair Nils Ušakovs emphasized the scale of the issue and its impact on players across the region:

“Today we’ve had the opportunity to understand directly from the organisers, experts and stakeholders about various challenges that arise when video games become unplayable after sale due to discontinued services or disabled access. This initiative highlights a real concern for millions and, as far as we understand from the presentations, probably hundreds of millions of European citizens, ensuring that digital purchases remain functional and that consumer rights are respected in the evolving digital landscape.”

It remains to be seen whether the hearing will lead to regulatory changes, but the discussion signals growing attention around digital ownership and consumer rights in gaming.