EU Law Proposed: 1 Million Signatures Sought for MMO Preservation

European Gamers Launch Petition to Save Online Games from Server Shutdowns

A European citizen's initiative, "Stop Killing Games," is gaining momentum, aiming to protect players' investments in online games. The petition seeks EU legislation to prevent publishers from shutting down servers and rendering games unplayable after ending support.

The campaign, spearheaded by Ross Scott, aims to collect one million signatures within a year to officially propose the new law to the EU. This ambitious goal is already showing progress, with over 183,000 signatures collected since its August launch. Scott believes the initiative aligns with existing consumer protection policies and hopes its success in Europe will influence global industry standards.

The petition's urgency stems from the increasing trend of game closures, such as Ubisoft's shutdown of The Crew, which rendered 12 million players' purchases obsolete. This practice, described by Scott as "planned obsolescence," mirrors historical practices like the destruction of silent films for their silver content.

The proposed law wouldn't demand publishers relinquish intellectual property, source code, or provide endless support. Instead, it mandates that games remain playable at the time of server shutdown, leaving the implementation method to the publishers. This applies even to free-to-play games with microtransactions, ensuring players aren't left without access to purchased items. The successful example of Knockout City, which transitioned to a free-to-play model with private server support after its initial shutdown, demonstrates a viable solution.

The "Stop Killing Games" initiative acknowledges several limitations: it won't require publishers to relinquish intellectual property rights, source code, provide endless support, host servers indefinitely, or assume liability for player actions.

While the petition requires European citizens of voting age to sign, Scott encourages global support by spreading awareness of the campaign. The ultimate goal is to prevent future game closures and create a ripple effect across the video game industry. Visit the "Stop Killing Games" website to sign the petition and help preserve digital game ownership. Remember, only one signature per person is valid.