Video Games Europe, a trade association representing the video game industry in the EU, has released a statement clarifying its position on the popular “Stop Killing Games” petition and movement after it reached a significant milestone in signatures. In its statement, Video Games Europe warned about the negative consequences and complex realities of providing gamers with guaranteed access to their games after official support for them has ceased.
“We appreciate the passion of our community; however, the decision to discontinue online services is multi-faceted, never taken lightly and must be an option for companies when an online experience is no longer commercially viable,” said the Video Games Europe Statement. “We understand that it can be disappointing for players but, when it does happen, the industry ensures that players are given fair notice of the prospective changes in compliance with local consumer protection laws.”
“Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable. In addition, 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 policy makers and those who have led the European Citizens Initiative in the coming months.”
The Stop Killing Games initiative, which aims to protect gamers’ right to access digital and live-service games, has seen a recent surge in support and has garnered over 1.2 million signatures. If the petition succeeds, it would compel the European Commission to consider new guidance or enact laws regarding consumer video game rights within the European Union, which also may lead to developments in other countries as well.
“’Stop Killing Games’ is a consumer movement started to challenge the legality of publishers destroying video games they have sold to customers,” says the Stop Killing Games petition website. “An increasing number of video games are sold effectively as goods – with no stated expiration date – but designed to be completely unplayable as soon as support from the publisher ends. This practice is a form of planned obsolescence and is not only detrimental to customers, but makes preservation effectively impossible. Furthermore, the legality of this practice is largely untested in many countries.”
Many video game studios have been traditionally hesitant to grant permanent access rights to online and live-service games due to the numerous burdens that would be placed on them. Still, gamers are increasingly demanding this right as more game offerings in the modern era become merely licenses and limited live-service access agreements rather than actual permanent products.
Although some may not realize it, games purchased on some digital platforms, such as Steam or Epic Games, are not actually owned by the purchaser. Instead, the user is purchasing a license to access a specific game on a particular platform, and access to that game can be restricted or revoked, or the game can be altered without the user’s input. While this issue has long been a topic of discussion among gamers, the detrimental effects of not having adequate protections in place have become more pronounced in recent years as the decline of physical video game sales continues to accelerate.
This statement from Video Games Europe, which appears to be unwilling to accept the demands of the Stop Killing Games movement, likely signals opposition to any potential rule changes from the European Commission, a stance that some gamers find unsurprising. While the petition is closing in on its goal of 1.4 million signatures, some are viewing this conflict as a flashpoint for legal gaming rights between consumers and video game publishers, which could alter the industry landscape in many countries worldwide.
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