Stop Killing Games: the initiative against the closure of games receives a first response from the UK government
The interesting Stop Killing Games initiative , promoted by YouTuber Ross Scott, has obtained a first official response from the authorities, in this case from a spokesperson for the UK government , and unfortunately it does not seem positive compared to what the organization aims to achieve , given that there appears to be no legal restriction preventing publishers from deactivating games.
As we also explained in one of our dedicated specials , Stop Killing Games is an initiative that urges players to contact various consumer protection bodies and authorities in various countries around the world, to try to put a stop to the possibility that publishers deactivate the games regularly purchased by users.
The issue was started by YouTuber Ross Scott but soon spread to several countries through the organization of several online petitions , and in the United Kingdom the number required to obtain at least an official response was reached.
The first answer doesn’t seem very positive
With the petition at over 10,000 signatures, the movement has received an official response through a statement from the UK’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport , but what is reported is not exactly good news for the players.
“Consumers should note that there is no legal requirement in the United Kingdom that software companies and providers provide support for older versions of their operating systems, software or related products,” the statement reads.
“There may be occasions where companies make business decisions based on the costs of maintaining older services for video games that have declining user bases.”
This last step refers precisely to cases in which publishers decide to remove online support for games that do not have enough users, or with a community that is now in a declining phase. However, the statement also adds that “If consumers are led to believe that a game should remain playable indefinitely on certain systems, despite the termination of the physical medium, then the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 may require that such games remain technically usable (e.g. available offline) so that they can be played in such circumstances.”
In short, the issue continues to be open to different interpretations, also because in fact Stop Killing Games does not necessarily require publishers to keep online support for games active indefinitely.
This is a well-specified element in the movement’s “manifesto”: there is no request that publishers keep online support active forever, it simply requires at least a regulation in the games licensing contract, which allows them to be used even when the official support is deactivated, perhaps through private servers or as regards the single player components.
At the very least, the minimum request would be not to try to remove the games from the libraries of users who have regularly purchased them, a case that emerged some time ago with the deactivation of The Crew by Ubisoft, which also removed the single player component of the game with the removal of online support.
In any case, the petition in the United Kingdom continues and, if it exceeds 100,000 signatures, it will automatically reach the possibility of being discussed in Parliament.