A European Union petition demanding publishers maintain the playability of online games after server shutdowns is gaining significant traction. The initiative, aiming for one million signatures, has already surpassed its threshold in seven EU nations.
EU Gamers Rally Behind Playability Rights
Nearly 40% of the Goal Achieved
The "Stop Destroying Video Games" petition has secured the necessary number of signatures in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden, exceeding expectations in some cases. This impressive showing represents 397,943 signatures – a substantial 39% of the one million signature goal.
Launched in June, the petition addresses the growing concern of games becoming unplayable after official support ends. It advocates for legislation requiring publishers to ensure continued functionality of online games, even after planned closures. The petition explicitly calls for preventing publishers from remotely disabling games without providing reasonable alternatives to maintain playability.
As the petition states, publishers should be obligated to maintain the functional state of games sold or licensed within the EU. This directly combats the practice of rendering games unplayable through server shutdowns.
The petition highlights the controversial shutdown of Ubisoft's The Crew, a 2014 racing game with over 12 million players. Ubisoft's decision to shut down servers in March 2024, citing infrastructure and licensing issues, sparked outrage and even legal action in California. This incident underscores the petition's central argument: players deserve continued access to games they've purchased.
While the petition still requires a significant number of signatures to reach its goal, EU citizens of voting age have until July 31st, 2025, to add their support. While non-EU citizens cannot sign, they can help by promoting the petition among their networks.
