EnglishStop Killing Games
"Stop Killing Games" is a consumer movement started to challenge the legality of publishers destroying video games they have sold to customers. An increasing number of video games are sold effectively as goods - with no stated expiration date - but designed to be completely unplayable as soon as support from the publisher ends. This practice is a form of planned obsolescence and is not only detrimental to customers, but makes preservation effectively impossible. Furthermore, the legality of this practice is largely untested in many countries.
Over the past year, we have succesfully escalated complaints on this problem to consumer agencies in France, Germany, and Australia, and have brought forth petitions for new law on this problem to various countries. A list of the actions taken to date can be viewed here. As of 2025, most consumer action on this matter has concluded and we are awaiting decisions on it from several governments. However, there are a few remaining avenues left where people can participate if they are eligible:
The Digital Fairness Act
The EU is currently accepting public input on the Digital Fairness Act. The Digital Fairness Act does not currently address the problem of publishers permanently disabling video games they have already sold to customers, but covers adjacent issues. Some of it pertain to video games also and is a good fit for adding this issue to its protections.
We encourage EU citizens (and European citizens in countries sharing economic policies with the EU) to comment on it and politely request that protections from publishers destroying video games they have already sold to customers be added. If you have a personal experience with this problem, feel free to add that also.
European Citizens' Initiative
The period for collecting signatures is now over, but citizens in EU countries can still contact their Members
of European Parliament on this issue. If you are a citizen of an EU country, please consider contacting an MEPs in your country on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee and ask them to support the Stop Destroying Videogames" initiative. Information on how to contact your MEP is located here:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/imco/home/members
UK Petition
UK citizens can contact their Member of Parliament to support the current government petition pending to be considered for debate in Parliament. It may be worth mentioning that the answer from the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport does not address what is being asked for. Information on how to contact your local MP is here:
https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/
Contacting the UFC-Que Choisir with complaints on "The Crew"
If you are French and owned a copy of the game "The Crew" in any capacity, please consider following our guide for submitting information that may be sent to the UFC-Que Choisir later.
GO TO THE GUIDEThese remaining options unfortunately exclude citizens from other countries from participating directly, but all other options we have found are either exhausted or already underway. It is worth stating that if there is success on this issue in a major country, customers will likely benefit from the changes globally due to market forces.
We are not currently seeking funding for Stop Killing Games. Any claims of fundraising activities in our name are fraudulent. Please contact us directly at the address below if you encounter such claims.
Our Official Discord is Now Closed
The official campaign Discord server has been permanently shut down. We are immensely grateful for the community that grew there.
A number of volunteers have created an independent, community-run server to continue the conversation. You can find it here: https://discord.gg/TCE6uXwsBe
Disclaimer: This server is not owned, operated, or moderated by our campaign. We have no control over its content or management and are not responsible for anything that occurs there. Please join at your own discretion.
Contact Us
Ross Scott
