EU Petition to Stop Video Game Destruction Gains Support in 7 Countries

The Stop Destroying Videogames Petition in the EU has garnered significant support, reaching its threshold in seven countries and moving closer to the goal of 1 million signatures. Dive deeper into the details of this impactful petition!

Gamers Across Seven EU Countries Show Strong Support

EU gamers are rallying behind the Stop Destroying Video Games petition, which has achieved its required signature threshold in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. Some countries have even exceeded their targets, pushing the total number of signatures to 397,943—39% of the 1 million needed for the petition to succeed.

Launched in June, this initiative addresses the growing issue of video games becoming unplayable after their support ends. The petition seeks to establish a law that mandates game publishers to ensure their online games remain playable even after closure. The petition's text states, "This initiative calls to require publishers that sell or license videogames to consumers in the European Union (or related features and assets sold for videogames they operate) to leave said videogames in a functional (playable) state. Specifically, the initiative seeks to prevent the remote disabling of videogames by the publishers, before providing reasonable means to continue functioning of said videogames without the involvement from the side of the publisher."

A prominent example cited in the petition is the case of Ubisoft's open-world racing game, The Crew, released in 2014 and enjoyed by over 12 million players globally. Despite its popularity, Ubisoft shut down the game's servers in March 2024 due to server infrastructure and licensing issues, rendering all player progress obsolete. This move sparked outrage, with two gamers from California filing a lawsuit against Ubisoft, claiming a violation of consumer rights under Californian law.

While the petition has made significant progress, it still needs more signatures to reach the 1 million mark. EU citizens eligible to vote have until July 31st, 2025, to sign the petition on its official website. Although those outside the EU cannot sign, they can support the cause by spreading the word to potential EU supporters.