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Stop Killing Games
460 readers
3 users here now
Stop Killing Games:
The consumer movement to stop game publishers from intentionally destroying older games with kill switches.
The goal is to reach 1 million signatures in the EU so that the european parliament will respond to the initiative that then leads to regulation that requires end-of-life plans for games to stay playable.
founded 10 months ago
MODERATORS
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Alright, which games are on the chopping block first?
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Save The Date: 2026-04-16 11AM UTC+1: Stop Killing Games public hearing in European Parliament
(www.europarl.europa.eu)
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SKG has anounced the final, verified count of all valid signatures. 1,294,188 signatures out of an original total of 1,448,270 have passed the test making an invalid rate of only ~11%. An accompanying Reddit post said the following:
Hello,
Another announcement. Things are moving quite fast right now, and we’ve decided to share the final count with you ahead of schedule. Originally, this wasn’t possible due to certain background limitations, and our plan was to wait until shortly before our next meeting with the EU Commission.
At that point, we intended to reveal everything through a video, alongside a redesigned website, a restructured Discord, and several other updates that—ironically—I still can’t talk about just yet. We didn’t want to present our case unprepared, unintentionally leak information to lobby groups, or worst of all burn out our team.
(...)
Tomorrow, we’ll also be sharing this information on our newly rebuilt or, in some cases, entirely new-media channels. Ross has kindly agreed to lend his voice and face to help with that rollout.
The handover is planned for mid to late February.
Cheers
Moritz Katzner for SKG
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UK Green Party MPs would be 'compelled' to support Stop Killing Games, if a proposed policy amendment passes
(www.rockpapershotgun.com)
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- Update on the Verification Progress
Out of 1,448,270 signatures, 689,035 are already verified, and 15 countries have met their thresholds. We are still missing the two largest countries—Germany and France—but based on our current progress, we are confident we have surpassed the required thresholds.
- Update on the DFA
The DFA’s (Digital Fairness Act) feedback phase ended yesterday. Thanks to your support, it has received a record-breaking number of submissions. This level of engagement was unprecedented in EU public consultations. Thank you for your efforts.
- Meetings
Over the past few months, we have engaged in intense discussions with:
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)
National governments
Political parties
The European Commission
Some representatives even reached out to us proactively. Your emails made this possible.
- Academic Support
While we cannot share too many details yet, we are actively working to secure expert backing. Having politicians, lobbyists, and developers in our ranks is invaluable, but we must credibly address the tough questions—without relying on expensive consulting firms. (We are a grassroots movement, after all.) Once finalized, we will make a dedicated announcement. Thank you in advance to our new allies.
Why We Need Everyone, Including Studios
Why Engage with Studios?
Some may ask: "Why engage with those who created this mess?" The answer is clear: there is no monolithic "industry." The vast majority of studios—especially European ones, both indie and AAA—have always listened to players and strived to do right by the community. This issue is driven by a powerful few who do not represent the values of creators or players.
Studios Stand With Us
Many studios have not remained silent—they have stood with us. This is not just about consumer rights, though that alone should be enough. It’s about what games should be:
More than sloppily assembled products
More than ignored studio visions
More than just another price tag on a shelf
Games are art. Developers—the people who craft these worlds—are almost never the problem. They suffer under the same corporate greed as players, facing crunch, rushed releases, and compromised creativity. The proof is everywhere: broken launches, abandoned projects, and exploited teams.
A call to action
Our fight is not against a united CEO front. It’s against a handful of companies holding our favourite games' hostage. That’s why we said "enough"—and why so many of you did too.
Let’s not just talk about developers but with them, big and small, who are already resisting these awful practices. We can’t undo past damage, but we can stop what’s coming. If we allow these few bad actors to dictate the future, we will continue to lose ground on issues that should never have arisen.
Help raise attention
For Citizens:
Reach out to:
Your government
Consumer protection groups
Your favourite studio
For Developers (Indie or Established):
Make your voice heard. No one will blame you for stepping into the spotlight to do what’s right. We are already in talks with many in the industry, but we can’t be everywhere. If we’ve missed you (and we apologize—there are simply too many to track), please reach out to us.
We are planning public events and want to bring some of you in front of parliament to demonstrate how things could be.
Thank you for your ongoing support, we are a community project, so feel free to reach out to us at any given time (don’t expect an immediate answer though).
For SKG
Policy and Communications Lead
Moritz
Stay Connected Follow us and join the conversation here:
• Discord (community): https://discord.gg/TCE6uXwsBe
• The SKG Wiki: https://stopkillinggames.wiki.gg/
• Website (official): https://www.stopkillinggames.com/
• Mastodon (official): https://mastodon.social/@StopKillingGames
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Despite fakery concerns, Stop Destroying Videogames campaign claim "around 97%" of their signatures are valid so far
(www.rockpapershotgun.com)
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How the ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’ ECI went viral — and what you can learn from it
(citizens-initiative-forum.europa.eu)
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