MMOG Preservation: EU Law Petition Nears Goal

A European citizen's initiative, "Stop Killing Games," is striving to protect players' digital investments by pushing for EU legislation. This follows Ubisoft's controversial shutdown of The Crew, leaving millions of players with unplayable games despite prior purchases. The petition aims to prevent publishers from rendering games unplayable after ending support, ensuring continued access to purchased content.

The initiative, spearheaded by Ross Scott, needs one million signatures within a year to trigger a formal legislative proposal within the EU. While challenging, Scott is confident, citing alignment with existing consumer protection policies and hoping for a global ripple effect. The process requires signatures from EU citizens of voting age, and the petition, launched in August, has already garnered significant support.

The campaign targets both paid and free-to-play games with microtransactions, arguing that rendering purchased content inaccessible constitutes a loss of goods. The petition clarifies that it doesn't demand publishers relinquish intellectual property, source code, provide indefinite support, host servers perpetually, or assume liability for player actions. Instead, it focuses on maintaining game functionality at the time of server shutdown, leaving the specific implementation method to the publishers. Knockout City's transition to a free-to-play model with private server support is cited as a viable example.

To participate, visit the "Stop Killing Games" website and sign the petition (one signature per person). Even non-Europeans can contribute by spreading awareness, aiming to prevent future game closures and protect player investments. The images below illustrate the petition and its goal.

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