Gaming Fans Petition to Preserve Digital Delights

A European Union petition demanding publishers maintain playable online games after support ends has surpassed its signature threshold in seven countries, nearing its one million signature goal. Learn more about this important initiative!

European Gamers Rally Behind Petition

Nearly 40% of Signatures Secured

The "Stop Destroying Video Games" petition has achieved significant success, exceeding the required signature count in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. The petition currently boasts 397,943 signatures—a remarkable 39% of its one million target.

This petition, launched in June, addresses the growing concern of unplayable games following the termination of publisher support. It advocates for legislation requiring publishers to ensure the continued functionality of online games even after official closure, preventing the remote disabling of games without providing reasonable alternatives for continued gameplay.

As the petition states, "This initiative calls for publishers selling or licensing videogames in the EU (or related features and assets) to maintain those videogames in a functional (playable) state. Specifically, it seeks to prevent publishers from remotely disabling videogames without providing reasonable means to maintain functionality independently."

The petition highlights the controversy surrounding Ubisoft's The Crew, a 2014 racing game with a reported 12 million players worldwide. Ubisoft's March 2024 server shutdown, citing infrastructure and licensing issues, rendered the game unplayable, sparking outrage among players and even leading to lawsuits in California alleging violation of consumer protection laws.

While the petition is still short of its goal, EU citizens of voting age have until July 31st, 2025, to sign. Although non-EU citizens cannot sign, they can help by promoting the petition to those who can.