🎮 “Stop Killing Games” Initiative Reaches 721K Signatures Ahead of July 31 Deadline

By [Your Name] – July 3, 2025

Ross Scott’s Stop Killing Games initiative, launched in April 2024 after Ubisoft shut down The Crew, has now amassed over 721,000 signatures—just a month away from the pivotal July 31, 2025 deadline required by the EU Citizens’ Initiative howtogeek.com+15reddit.com+15sportsrant.indiatimes.com+15reddit.com+12en.wikipedia.org+12sportsrant.indiatimes.com+12.

Digital Game Preservation: The petition demands publishers ensure games remain playable—offline or via alternative methods—once servers are shuttered, avoiding what opponents call “planned obsolescence” bo3.gg+5ballerstatus.com+5sportsrant.indiatimes.com+5.
Consumer Rights: It emphasizes that bought games shouldn’t simply vanish—a principle the movement likens to preserving books, films, or music indiatimes.com.

EU Citizen Petition: Only EU citizens can officially sign. The goal is 1 million signatures from at least 7 member states—a threshold that triggers formal review by the European Commission 80.lv+12reddit.com+12indiatimes.com+12.
UK Parliament Petition: Independently, a UK petition is also underway aiming for 100,000 signatures to secure parliamentary debate indiatimes.com+3en.wikipedia.org+3indiatimes.com+3.
Campaign Surge: After slowing earlier this year, momentum surged again thanks to renewed visibility via YouTubers and social media influencers indiatimes.com+3en.wikipedia.org+3indiatimes.com+3.

The initiative was ignited when Ubisoft delisted and disabled servers for the always-online game The Crew in early 2024, rendering it permanently unplayable—even in single-player mode. This was seen as a catalyst for urgent action 80.lv+7bo3.gg+7indiatimes.com+7.

Offline access once official support ends—publishers should allow continued gameplay without server reliance.
No forced DRM checks, meaning no need for publisher servers to be online once a game is sold.
Publisher flexibility to continue online operations during active support, without permanent obligations en.wikipedia.org+13bo3.gg+13sportsrant.indiatimes.com+13gamesradar.com+1sportsrant.indiatimes.com+1sportsrant.indiatimes.com.

EU Focus: The EU petition must hit 1M signatures by July 31.
UK Impact: Over 100K signatures now sent the petition to UK Westminster, where it’s up for parliamentary consideration 80.lv+6gamingonlinux.com+6indiatimes.com+6.
Worldwide Support: Even non-EU gamers are campaigning on social media, encouraging EU-based friends to contribute .

July 31, 2025: EU petition deadline—if 1M valid signatures are verified, the European Commission must review it officially.
UK Debates: With over 100K signatures, the issue now moves to validated consideration in parliamentary sessions.
Industry Response: The growing campaign may pressure publishers to offer offline patches, grants access to private servers, or provide transparency about game longevity policies.

Public Awareness: The campaign has sparked meaningful discussions around digital ownership and whether buying a game equates to permanent access en.wikipedia.org+3ballerstatus.com+3bo3.gg+3.
Preservation Culture: It frames digital games as cultural heritage—worthy of preservation just like classic films or literature sportsrant.indiatimes.com+2ballerstatus.com+2indiatimes.com+2.
Pressure on Publishers: Night studios might soon need to implement "end-of-life plans" for games, potentially shifting the industry’s approach to digital discontinuation.

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