What Did the EU Decide About Stop Killing Games? Petition, Response, and Next Steps Explained

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The European Commission has rejected mandatory video game preservation legislation despite 1.3 million signatures. Here is what Stop Killing Games plans next, and how California is moving ahead with its own law.

The European Commission has formally responded to the Stop Killing Games citizens’ initiative, which gathered more than 1.3 million verified signatures across the EU.
The verdict: no mandatory law, but a voluntary industry code of conduct to be drafted by the end of 2026.

The decision was widely expected, and the movement already has a plan to push forward through other political channels.
(As always, please verify political details with trusted official sources.)

Table of Contents

What Is Stop Killing Games and Why Did It Start

Stop Killing Games began in 2024 after Ubisoft shut down servers for The Crew and removed the game from the libraries of players who had purchased it.
This reignited a long‑standing debate:

Do players truly own digital games, or are they only renting access?

The movement’s petition did not demand perpetual servers or forced open‑sourcing.
It asked for one thing:

Keep discontinued games functional without requiring a permanent online connection.

The petition reached the threshold needed to force a formal response from the European Commission.

What Did the European Commission Decide

The Commission rejected mandatory legislation, arguing that a legal obligation to keep games playable “would not be proportionate.”

Their reasoning included:

  • Intellectual property rights
  • Confidential commercial information
  • Costs to publishers
  • Cybersecurity risks for old infrastructure

Instead of a law, the Commission will pursue a voluntary code of conduct with industry stakeholders.

What Will the EU Code of Conduct Include

The code of conduct, expected by late 2026, may include:

  • More transparent labeling in digital stores
  • Clearer warnings about potential discontinuation
  • Partnerships with cultural preservation institutions

However, the Commission made clear what will not be included:

  • No legal obligation for offline patches
  • No requirement to provide private server tools
  • No forced mechanisms to keep games playable after shutdown

The Commission also plans to work with consumer groups to raise awareness of existing rights.

How Is Stop Killing Games Responding

The movement expected this outcome.

In its official statement, Stop Killing Games wrote:

“This decision is not unexpected. But we were prepared.”

The group now plans to bypass the Commission entirely by pushing the European Parliament to amend the Digital Fairness Act.

What Is the Digital Fairness Act and Why Does It Matter

The Digital Fairness Act, currently under debate in the European Parliament, could include:

  • Player protection rules
  • Requirements for fair digital product practices
  • Stronger consumer rights for online purchases

Stop Killing Games believes this route may be more politically effective than the citizens’ initiative process.

(Please verify legislative details with official EU sources.)

How Is California Handling Game Preservation

While Europe debates voluntary guidelines, California is moving ahead with concrete legislation.

The Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921):

  • Introduced February 2026
  • Passed the California Assembly 43 to 16
  • Now advancing to the Senate

If approved, the law would require publishers to:

  • Give 60 days’ notice before shutting down essential services
  • Provide a solution: refund, offline version, or patch
  • Apply only to paid games released after January 1, 2027

Free‑to‑play and subscription titles are excluded.

Meanwhile, Steam has updated its terms to clarify that users purchase a license, not ownership.

Why Game Preservation Is Becoming a Global Issue

As more games rely on online infrastructure and digital distribution becomes the norm, the tension between:

  • Consumer rights, and
  • Publisher control

is intensifying.

The Stop Killing Games movement argues that without legal protections, digital games risk becoming disposable products.
Publishers argue that mandatory preservation could be costly, risky, or technically impossible.

The debate is far from over.

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