EU Petition Halts Video Game Destruction

The Stop Destroying Video Games petition, making waves across the EU, has surpassed its signature threshold in seven countries, inching closer to its ambitious goal of one million signatures. Let's dive into the details.

Gamers Across Seven EU Countries Show Strong Support

39% of the 1 Million Signature Goal Achieved

EU gamers are rallying behind the Stop Destroying Video Games petition, achieving the required signature threshold in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. Many countries have even exceeded their individual goals. This impressive collective effort has amassed 397,943 signatures—a significant 39% of the one million signature target.

Launched in June, this petition addresses the growing concern of unplayable games after publisher support ends. It advocates for a law requiring publishers to maintain the functionality of online games even after official server shutdowns. The petition explicitly calls for preventing publishers from remotely disabling games without providing reasonable alternatives for continued gameplay independent of publisher involvement. As stated in the petition: "This initiative calls to require publishers that sell or license videogames to consumers in the European Union (or related features and assets sold for videogames they operate) to leave said videogames in a functional (playable) state. Specifically, the initiative seeks to prevent the remote disabling of videogames by the publishers, before providing reasonable means to continue functioning of said videogames without the involvement from the side of the publisher."

A prime example highlighted by the petition is Ubisoft's The Crew, a 2014 open-world racing game with a reported 12 million players. Despite its substantial player base, Ubisoft shut down the game's servers in March 2024, citing server infrastructure and licensing issues. This action rendered the game unplayable, sparking outrage among players and even leading to a lawsuit in California alleging violation of consumer protection laws.

While significant progress has been made, the petition still requires substantial further support to reach its one million signature goal. EU citizens of voting age are encouraged to visit the petition website and lend their support before the July 31st, 2025 deadline. While non-EU citizens can't sign, they can contribute by spreading awareness and encouraging support within their networks.