Stop Killing Games
 | |
Type of site | Consumer movement |
|---|---|
| Available in | 32 languages |
| Created by | Ross Scott |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | April 2, 2024 |
| Current status | active |
Stop Killing Games is a 2024 consumer movement and initiative started by Ross Scott with the goal of preserving video games after they are taken offline. The initiative was started after the shutdown of The Crew, a racing game that required a constant internet connection despite being mostly single-player. The initiative quickly gathered popularity, being covered by various YouTubers and news outlets. It spawned multiple government petitions.
Background
[edit]The Crew was a 2014 racing game published by Ubisoft. It required a constant internet connection to play, including in single-player mode; attempting to launch the game offline resulted in an error screen.[1] On 15 December 2023, Ubisoft delisted The Crew from digital storefronts and announced that the game's servers will be shut down on 1 April 2024, rendering the game unplayable.[2]
Ross Scott is a YouTuber primarily known for his machinima series Freeman's Mind.[3] He is critical of online-only games being shut down, describing the practice as an "assault on both consumer rights and preservation of media"[4] and comparing it to movie studios during the silent film era "burning their own films after they were done showing them to recover the silver content", while also pointing out that "most films of that era are gone forever."[5] In 2019, Scott criticized games as a service, calling it "fraud".[6]
In April 2024, after the shutdown of The Crew, Scott released a video on his YouTube channel introducing Stop Killing Games and launched a website for the initiative.[6] The initiative encourages users to vote on petitions to force developers into providing ways to play games after the end of support, such as adding an offline mode or an ability to host private servers.[7] He also launched multiple petitions for Stop Killing Games, such as the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Protection in France,[4][8] the UK Parliament petition, and the European Citizens Initiative in the European Union,[5][9][10] the latter of which gained over 350,000 signatures in the first two months.[11]
The UK government responded to the Parliament petition, stating that "there is no requirement in UK law compelling software companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems, software or connected products".[12][13] In 2025, the petition was cut short due to a General Election. A new petition was started, quickly gaining over 10,000 signatures, which was the amount needed for a guaranteed response for the government. In February 2025, the UK government responded to the new petition, stating that it had "had no plans to amend consumer law on digital obsolescence", but pointing out that "if consumers are led to believe that a game will remain playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support, the CPR may require that the game remains technically feasible [...] to play under those circumstances".[14][15]
In May 2025, Scott published a spreadsheet containing various online-only video games and their playability status. According to the spreadsheet, 68% out of the 731 games were either unplayable or at risk. Only 16 games that were playable after discontinuation have been salvaged by the developers, with the other 110 being fan-preserved.[16]
While the European Citizens Initiative gained a lot of signatures at the start, it quickly lost momentum, stagnating at around 500,000 signatures, which was 50% of the amount needed for Commission representatives to take action. In June 2025, Scott uploaded a video, reminding people of the petition and outlining that the problem with the insufficient signatures "isn't getting gamers to care about games; it's getting people to care about anything".[17][18]
Reactions
[edit]Upon the release of the Stop Killing Games introduction video, it quickly gained views and was covered by multiple gaming news outlets and YouTubers.[6]
Jason "Thor" Hall, creator of Heartbound, criticized the initiative in a video on his YouTube channel Pirate Software. In turn, Scott criticized Hall's video, stating that he "didn't understand the campaign" and "made up" information.[18]
Ubisoft
[edit]Ubisoft initially refused to comment on the situation with The Crew.[6] After severe player backlash, fueled in part by the Stop Killing Games initiative according to PC Gamer, Ubisoft promised to add an offline mode to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest, though the discontinued The Crew was not mentioned.[11][19][20] In April 2025, Ubisoft released an update video on the upcoming offline mode for The Crew 2, stating that not all features will be available offline and that the mode playtesting will begin on 30 April.[21][22][23] The offline mode for Motorfest is still planned.[24]
Law
[edit]In September 2024, a new Californian law AB 2426[25] was signed that forces digital storefronts to disclose what the user is getting after making a transaction to access digital goods, making it illegal to use the terms "buy" and "purchase" while only providing a license that can be revoked at any time – a practice common among digital storefronts.[26][27][28] The law does not extend to games that can be played offline permanently.[29][27] The law came to effect in 1 January 2025.[30] In October 2024, Steam added a disclaimer that a game purchase only grants a license.[31][32] GOG.com, a DRM-free storefront, responded to the law by posting a concept banner that states that GOG's offline game installers "cannot be taken away".[33][34]
References
[edit]- ^ Iwaniuk, Phil (2014-12-08). "The Crew review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2023-12-14). "The Crew removed from sale, will become unplayable after April 1: 'We understand this may be disappointing for players still enjoying the game'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Francis, Tom (2010-08-06). "Community heroes: Ross Scott for Freeman's Mind". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ a b Smith, Graham (2024-04-04). "Stop Killing Games hopes to petition regulators to stop developers from shutting down games". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ a b Livingston, Christopher (2024-08-01). "If 1 million people sign a petition, a ban on rendering multiplayer games unplayable has a chance to become law in Europe". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ a b c d Wilde, Tyler (2024-04-05). "Gamers seek legal win that would stop developers from rendering online games unplayable: 'It is an assault on both consumer rights and preservation of media'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Blazewicz, Jacob (2024-06-07). "Campaign Against Killing Games Continues. We Asked Its Organizer About Future and Lawyers' Opinions About The Crew". Gamepressure.com. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (2024-04-04). "Stop Killing Games aims to mount political and legal challenges to games going offline". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Neal, Chris (2024-08-12). "Stop Killing Games Initiative stumps for signatures to pressure EU governments | Massively Overpowered". Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Bailey, Dustin (2024-08-02). "After 10 years, Ubisoft's always-online racing game The Crew has snowballed into a massive consumer rights campaign that's now looking for 1 million EU signatures". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ a b Chalk, Andy (2024-09-10). "After eating it for killing The Crew, Ubisoft promises to bring offline support to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2024-05-15). "UK government responds to Stop Killing Games petition, and it's not good: 'There is no requirement in UK law' that forces companies to support old software". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Smith, Graham (2024-05-05). "UK government responds to petition asking them to regulate publishers into keeping games "in a working state"". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Lane, Rick (2025-02-05). "UK government says it won't change the rules on publishers taking videogames offline after selling them: 'We have no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (2025-02-04). "Favourite game no longer playable? UK government says it won't tighten rules to punish publishers who switch off servers". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Evans, Edwin; Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (2025-05-23). "70% of games with online requirements are doomed, according to Stop Killing Games survey". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
- ^ Randall, Harvey (2025-06-24). "The 'Stop Killing Games' initiative is close to its final deadline, and after that, its leader is understandably done: 'Either the frog hops out of the pot, or it's dead'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ a b "Your games could disappear overnight. The campaign to prevent this is failing". Gamepressure.com. 2025-06-24. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (2024-09-12). "Ubisoft Adding Offline Modes to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest, But the Original Is Gone for Good". IGN. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Yang, George (2024-09-10). "After The Crew Was Rendered Unplayable, Its Sequels Will Be Preserved". GameSpot. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2025-04-24). "Ubisoft is keeping its promise to add an offline mode to The Crew 2, and testing begins next week". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ "The Crew 2 Offline Mode is a "Hybrid Way to Play the Game" – Ubisoft". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Kuhnke, Oisin (2025-04-24). "The Crew 2 is getting an offline mode play test and it, unsurprisingly, won't have all of its online features". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ "Amid Anger Over First Game's Shutdown, The Crew 2's New Offline Mode Detailed". GameSpot. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ "AB 2426- CHAPTERED". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Walter, Brittany. "California AB 2426 Clarifies Digital Goods Purchases and Licensin". natlawreview.com. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ a b Roth, Emma (2024-09-26). "California's new law forces digital stores to admit you're just licensing content, not buying it". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Carpenter, Nicole (2024-09-26). "New California law means digital stores can't imply you're buying a game when you're merely licensing it". Polygon. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (2024-09-27). "Buying digital games means you're just purchasing a license, California will force storefronts to admit". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2024-09-27). "New California law inspired by Ubisoft and Sony requires retailers to warn consumers that the digital games they buy can be taken away at any time". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Dent, Steve (2024-10-11). "Steam now tells gamers up front that they're buying a license, not a game". Engadget. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2024-10-11). "Steam Now Warns Customers They're Buying a License, Not a Game Before They Continue to Payment". IGN. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
spotted by Engadget and verified by IGN
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2024-10-11). "Steam's new disclaimer reminds everyone that you don't actually own your games, GOG moves in for the killshot: Its offline installers 'cannot be taken away from you'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
- ^ Lewis, Catherine (2024-10-11). "Valve reminds Steam users they don't actually own a darn thing they buy, GOG pounces and says its games "cannot be taken away from you" thanks to offline installers". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2025-06-26.