NextFin News - A landmark shift in the digital ownership landscape reached a critical milestone this Tuesday, January 27, 2026, as the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) titled "Stop Killing Games" officially secured enough verified signatures to force a legislative review by the European Commission. According to Moritz Katzner, the director general of the organizing body, the petition has amassed 1,294,188 verified signatures from across the European Union, comfortably exceeding the one-million-signature requirement for formal consideration.
The movement was catalyzed by the 2024 decision by Ubisoft to shutter the servers for "The Crew," a racing game with a decade-long legacy, rendering the software unplayable even for those who had purchased it. The petition seeks to establish a legal framework ensuring that when a publisher ends support for a game, it must be left in a functional state that does not require a connection to the company’s servers. Germany and France emerged as the primary engines of the movement, contributing 233,180 and 145,239 signatures respectively. With the verification process complete, the European Commission is now legally obligated to meet with the organizers and issue a formal response detailing what actions, if any, it intends to take.
This surge in consumer activism highlights a fundamental friction in the modern gaming economy: the transition from product ownership to service licensing. For decades, the industry has operated under the "Games as a Service" (GaaS) model, where consumers pay for access rather than a permanent asset. However, as digital libraries grow, the perceived ephemeral nature of these purchases has reached a breaking point. The success of the ECI suggests that European consumers no longer accept the "planned obsolescence" of digital media, viewing the total loss of access as a violation of consumer protection standards.
From an industry perspective, the push for mandatory post-shutdown support presents significant technical and financial hurdles. Trade organization Video Games Europe has noted that maintaining online infrastructure is a complex commercial decision. According to Katzner, the initiative has maintained a remarkably low rejection rate of approximately 10%, signaling a highly organized and legitimate base of support. Yet, industry veterans like Maciej Gołębiewski, managing director of GOG, have cautioned that such regulations could have unintended consequences. Gołębiewski warned that if developers are legally forced to ensure perpetual playability, the increased cost of compliance might deter the production of experimental or niche online titles, potentially consolidating the market toward only the largest publishers who can afford the long-term liability.
The economic impact of potential legislation would be felt most acutely by mid-sized developers. While a giant like Ubisoft might have the resources to release a "final patch" to enable offline play, smaller studios operating on thin margins may find the requirement to be a barrier to entry. Furthermore, the legal definition of "functional state" remains a point of contention. Does it imply a simple offline mode, or must companies release server software for community hosting? The latter raises concerns regarding intellectual property theft and the exposure of proprietary code.
Looking ahead, the European Commission’s response will likely set a global precedent. If the EU adopts a "right to persist" for digital software, it could force a radical redesign of how games are built from the ground up. We may see a shift toward modular server architectures that are easier to decouple at the end of a product's lifecycle. Conversely, if the Commission sides with the industry’s concerns over financial viability, the movement may pivot toward more aggressive litigation in national courts. As U.S. President Trump continues to emphasize deregulation in the American tech sector, the divergence between European consumer-centric mandates and American market-driven policies could create a fragmented global market for digital entertainment.
The "Stop Killing Games" initiative is more than a dispute over software; it is a proxy battle for the future of digital property rights. As the Commission prepares its review, the gaming industry must prepare for a future where the "off" switch is no longer solely in their hands. The verified 1.3 million signatures represent a clear mandate: in the eyes of the modern consumer, a purchase should be a permanent acquisition, not a temporary rental subject to a corporate whim.
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