Stop Killing Games EU: Petition, Goals, and EU Response

Signatures collected: 1,300,000+ · EU countries represented: 18+ · EU response deadline: June 2026 · Founder: Ross Scott · Launch date: July 2024

Here are the key details of the Stop Killing Games EU initiative at a glance:

What is Stop Killing Games EU?

Definition of the movement

Stop Killing Games is a consumer advocacy movement that took shape in 2024 after years of high-profile games becoming unplayable because publishers shut down the servers those titles depended on. Unlike a standard online petition, the organisers chose a legal mechanism with real teeth: a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI). Once a registered ECI collects more than one million verified signatures from at least seven EU member states, the European Commission is legally obligated to respond formally — either by proposing legislation or explaining why it won’t. The initiative’s official name on the EU registry is “Stop Destroying Videogames”, registered on June 19, 2024, with signature collection running from July 31, 2024, to July 31, 2025 (European Commission via ECI Portal).

Goals and objectives

• Force publishers to ensure that games remain playable after official online support ends (Stop Killing Games official site)
• Close a regulatory gap that lets companies sell a product and then disable it remotely
• Create a legal obligation for publishers to release patches or transfer tools before terminating service

The petition does not demand that publishers keep running servers forever. Instead, it asks for a “reasonable” transition, such as releasing an offline patch, handing authentication to a third party, or open-sourcing the server code so communities can keep the game alive. The organisers argue this is no different from what happens with physical goods: you cannot sell a car and then remotely disable its engine after a few years.

Who started it

The movement was founded by Ross Scott, best known as the creator of the YouTube series “Freeman’s Mind” and the “Game Dungeon” retrospective channel. Scott published a video in early 2024 laying out the legal and consumer argument, then directed his audience toward the EU’s ECI mechanism as the most viable route for change (Wikipedia).

The Commission must now decide whether to enshrine these principles into EU law.

Why is Stop Killing Games good?

Reasons to support the initiative

The core argument is straightforward: when a consumer buys a video game, they should retain reasonable access to it. Supporters point out that the model of “perpetual licensing” has already ended — most purchases are now revocable licences — but that does not give publishers the right to destroy the product after the transaction. The initiative’s verification data suggests broad appeal: the EU confirmed 1,294,188 valid signatures out of 1,448,270 submitted, an 89% verification rate well above the typical 75–85% for ECIs (TechDirt). The invalid signature rate of approximately 10–11% is one of the lowest ever recorded for an EU Citizens’ Initiative, where normal invalidation rates hover between 15–25% (G2A News).

Benefits for gamers

• Protects a purchaser’s ability to play single-player or local-multiplayer modes after server shutdown
• Reduces the risk of losing access to a back catalogue built up over years
• Sets a precedent that could extend to other digital purchases — e-books, streaming media, software

Germany alone contributed 233,180 signatures, the highest of any member state, followed by France at approximately 145,000 and Poland at roughly 144,000 (G2A News). The geographic breadth — 18+ EU countries represented — strengthens the case that this is not a niche concern but a continent-wide consumer issue.

Preventing loss of game history

Game preservation advocates argue that when a title is rendered unplayable, it is not just a consumer loss but a cultural one. The video game industry now exceeds film and music revenues globally, yet its early history is vanishing faster than silent films did. The initiative would create a legal floor: companies that decide to stop supporting a game must leave it in a playable state, which in turn allows archivists and historians to preserve it.

The implication: this is not just about convenience. It is about whether a multi-billion euro industry gets to erase its own history every time a business model changes.

The data leaves little room for the Commission to dismiss the initiative as unrepresentative or poorly understood.

Is there a US version of Stop Killing Games?

Comparison between EU and US movements

The United States does not have a direct equivalent to the European Citizens’ Initiative, which is a unique feature of EU governance. There is no federal mechanism through which US citizens can force Congress to formally respond to a petition with a certain number of signatures. This structural difference means that US-based consumer advocacy operates through different channels — class-action lawsuits, state-level consumer protection statutes, and public pressure campaigns — none of which carry the same mandatory response requirement.

Ross Scott’s initial video campaign was global in reach, and the movement has active supporters in North America, but no parallel US initiative has been launched with comparable institutional backing (Wikipedia).

Challenges in the US

• No federal citizen-initiated referendum mechanism at the national level
• Consumer protection in digital goods varies by state, with no unifying law
• Industry lobbying power in Washington is significantly stronger than in Brussels

Some US states have considered “right to repair” legislation for digital goods, but none has yet passed a law specifically requiring publishers to maintain offline functionality after server shutdown. The lack of a single petition target makes it harder to co-ordinate pressure.

Global efforts

Beyond the EU and US, supporters in the United Kingdom launched a separate petition through the UK Parliament petitions system, though it has not reached the threshold for a parliamentary debate (see next section). Canada, Australia, and several Asian markets have seen localised campaigns but none with the formal ECI structure.

The imbalance in consumer protection tools between the blocs highlights the strategic value of the EU route.

What was the UK response to Stop Killing Games?

UK government statements

The UK government has not issued an official statement on the Stop Killing Games initiative. Because the UK left the EU before the petition launched, British citizens cannot sign the European Citizens’ Initiative. The UK has its own petitions system on the Parliament website, but as of early 2026 no Stop Killing Games petition has reached the 100,000-signature threshold required to trigger consideration for a parliamentary debate.

Brexit implications

Brexit created a bifurcated situation: while the EU moves toward a regulatory response by June 2026, the UK has no parallel obligation. If the EU adopts new rules on game preservation, UK-based publishers who also sell into Europe would have to comply for their EU operations, but there is no guarantee those protections would extend to UK consumers.

Separate petition efforts in UK

UK supporters have run independent petitions, but none has gained the institutional traction of the EU version. The UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 contains provisions about subscription practices but does not directly address the scenario of a purchased game becoming unplayable due to server shutdown.

The pattern: UK gamers are watching Brussels closely, because whatever regulation emerges will likely become the de facto standard for the European market — and UK consumers may be left out.

The divergence between UK and EU consumer rights in gaming may soon become starkly visible.

How does the Stop Killing Games petition work?

Step-by-step to sign

1. Confirm you are an EU citizen or resident aged 18 or over
2. Visit the official ECI page at citizens-initiative.europa.eu
3. Select the “Stop Destroying Videogames” initiative
4. Provide your full name, date of birth, nationality, and personal identification number (varies by country — typically the same ID used for national elections)
5. Submit electronically or download a paper form

Signature collection ran from July 31, 2024, to July 31, 2025 (European Commission ECI Portal). That window has closed, but the verification phase and the Commission’s response period are ongoing. The verification phase began on August 11, 2025, and was completed on January 26, 2026 (Wikipedia).

European Citizens’ Initiative process

The ECI is a form of participatory democracy unique to the EU. It allows one million citizens from at least seven member states to invite the European Commission to propose legislation on a specific issue. The Commission is not obligated to legislate — it can explain why it will not act — but it must give a formal, reasoned response within six months of the verification deadline (European Commission ECI Portal). That puts the Commission’s deadline roughly in June 2026.

Number of signatures needed

The minimum threshold is one million verified signatures from at least seven EU member states, with each state having its own minimum count based on population (TechDirt). The Stop Killing Games petition cleared that bar easily, with 1,294,188 verified signatures from 18+ countries.

The Commission’s formal response will set the precedent for how seriously it takes digital consumer rights.

What happened to Stop Killing games?

Current status as of early 2026

The Stop Killing Games initiative has passed every procedural milestone. The European Commission verified 1,294,188 signatures on January 26, 2026, confirming that the initiative met all thresholds (TechDirt). The verification phase took about five months, from August 11, 2025, when national authorities began checking signatures, to the final confirmation (Wikipedia).

The organisers have held public events in Brussels to maintain pressure, and the initiative’s supporters are now in a waiting period until the Commission’s formal response, expected by June 2026.

Expected response June 2026

Under ECI rules, the Commission must publish a communication outlining its legal and policy conclusions, and the proposal is then debated in the European Parliament. The Commission could propose new legislation on game preservation, incorporate the issue into an existing digital rights framework, or decline to legislate with a detailed explanation. Any of these outcomes would be a first for the video game industry — no previous ECI has addressed digital game ownership.

The trade-off: even a positive response does not guarantee fast action. EU legislative processes typically take two to four years from proposal to enforcement. But the initiative has already accomplished something rare — forcing a multi-billion-euro industry to justify its business model in front of a regulatory body.

The industry has a narrow window to adapt its practices before regulation potentially dictates them.

What the numbers actually mean: 1.29 million verified signatures from 18 countries with one of the lowest invalidation rates in ECI history is not a fluke. It is a structural signal that consumers across Europe — across age groups, languages, and gaming platforms — want the same thing: to not lose products they paid for. For the European Commission, the regulatory choice is between accommodating that demand through new digital fairness rules or defending a status quo that an unusually broad and well-organised cross-section of the electorate has rejected. For publishers, the implication is clear: adapt your business model to include offline fallback options before June 2026, or brace for rules written without your input.

This initiative represents a defining test for digital ownership in the EU, the world’s largest trading bloc. The outcome will resonate well beyond video games, influencing software, e-books, and any digital product that can be deactivated remotely. The June 2026 deadline is not just a procedural step; it is a deadline for the industry to reconcile its business models with consumer expectations.

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