Ubisoft's abrupt closure of The Crew ignited a European-wide petition to safeguard online multiplayer games from a similar fate. This article delves into the petition's details and its fight to protect players' digital investments.

European Gamers Unite to Save Online Games

"Stop Killing Games" Petition Aims for One Million Signatures

A significant movement of European gamers is championing a citizen's initiative focused on preserving digital game ownership. The "Stop Killing Games" petition urges the European Union to implement legislation preventing publishers from disabling games after ending support.

Ross Scott, a key organizer, is confident of success, highlighting the initiative's alignment with existing consumer protection policies. The proposed law's jurisdiction would be limited to Europe; however, Scott hopes its success in this major market will inspire global change, either through similar legislation or industry-wide standards.

The path to law, however, is challenging. The campaign must navigate the European Citizen's Initiative process, requiring one million signatures from various European countries to trigger a formal legislative proposal. Eligibility is simple: European citizens of voting age (age varies by country).

Launched in early August, the petition already boasts 183,593 signatures. While a significant hurdle remains, the campaign has a full year to reach its ambitious goal.

Holding Publishers Accountable for Server Shutdowns

Ubisoft's decision to shut down The Crew's online services in March 2024, impacting 12 million players, fueled this initiative. The closure highlighted the devastating loss of investment in online-only games.

Numerous online-only titles, including SYNCED and NEXON's Warhaven, have already met a similar fate in 2024, leaving players with no recourse for their purchases.

"It's a form of planned obsolescence," Scott stated in a YouTube video. "Publishers are destroying games they've already sold, yet keeping the money." He compared this to the silent film era, where studios destroyed films to reclaim silver, resulting in the permanent loss of countless movies.

The petition seeks to ensure games remain playable at the time of shutdown, mandating "publishers that sell or license video games to consumers in the European Union…to leave said videogames in a functional (playable) state." The specific implementation method would be left to the publishers.

The initiative also aims to protect players of free-to-play games with microtransactions, stating that the loss of access to purchased in-game items constitutes a loss of goods.

Previous examples, such as Knockout City's transition to a free-to-play model with private server support after shutdown, demonstrate a possible solution.

The initiative explicitly does not seek to:

⚫︎ Require relinquishing intellectual property rights ⚫︎ Require relinquishing source code ⚫︎ Mandate perpetual support ⚫︎ Mandate server hosting by publishers ⚫︎ Hold publishers liable for player actions

Support the campaign by signing the "Stop Killing Games" petition (one signature per person). The website provides country-specific guidance. Even non-Europeans can assist by spreading awareness, aiming to create a ripple effect across the gaming industry to prevent future game closures.