“They Kill Games. We Fight Back”

First registered in June 2024, ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’ is an initiative registered in the European Union by consumer movement Stop Killing Games (SKG). The modern video game industry is becoming increasingly reliant on central servers, forcing players into online play for even single player content. In 2023, Ubisoft announced they would be delisting The Crew (‘The Crew 1’) from all online stores, including all game editions and virtual currency packs, effective March 31st, 2024. The Crew was an online-only game with over two million units sold, attesting to its popularity as well as being the catalyst for the SKG movement.

Unfortunately, consumers have been subject to a multitude of games being lost following server shutdown or delisting. True game ownership is increasingly rare nowadays, with many purchases actually being a limited, non-transferable licence to play the game. As a result, completely losing access to a game feels like a slap in the face to fans. In this article we will be covering the progress of the SKG movement and how the community is fighting back against predatory game publishers.

Gamer's Voice Official Website

European Commission Responds

Currently, the Stop Killing Games movement has over ten legislative inquiries ongoing across the globe with the European Citizens’ Initiative being the spearhead of the movement. The European Commission responded on June 16th, ahead of its July 27th deadline. To the disappointment of the movement’s followers, the Commission replied that “it cannot propose a legal obligation to keep video games playable after they stop being provided commercially.” They will, however, initiate discussions with the video game industry and consumer representatives by the end of 2026 with the goal to draft an industry code of conduct on the ‘end of life’ management’ for video games. The Commission has also claimed they will work with consumer organisations and authorities to raise awareness about the existing (and applicable) consumers’ rights, including the Directive on Digital Content and Digital Services and the safeguards protecting their interests.

UK Petition

Stop Killing Games also petitioned in the UK, receiving almost 200,000 signatures and securing a parliamentary debate. Unfortunately, the initial government response refused action stating that “there are no plans to amend UK consumer law on disabling video games.” Parliament insisted that the issue will continue to be monitored but emphasised that game publishers must comply. The petition entered debate in November 2025, however there was no actionable outcome. During this process, a UK chapter of SKG was formed called Gamer’s Voice, who work alongside Ross Scott, founder and public face of Stop Killing Games.

UK Petition Led on Parliament Website

Community Fights Back

Not ones to be disappointed, the gaming community banded together to form creative solutions to their needs. Circling back to The Crew, a subset of the fan community formed ‘The Crew Unlimited’ (TCU) – a community project aimed at restoring The Crew to a playable state using custom server emulator software. TCU go into depth on the success and importance of the Crew to the community, and why they work so hard to keep the game playable for its fans on their website. The TCU team consists of five core members and four community moderators, making this an impressive feat for such a small crew. They are especially humble in their work, even thanking Ubisoft and Ivory Tower developers for bringing the game into existence despite the massive controversy caused by the game’s discontinuation.

The Crew Unlimited – Community Project Server to Revive The Crew

Also supporting the general community, Delisted Games dedicates their website to updating users on delisted and ‘Extinct‘ games. They also provide additional resources such as relisted games, accessing previous purchases delisted from the store front, and scheduled delistings. Delisted Games initially began as a series on YouTube. It was eventually handed over to long-time fans once the original creator became disillusioned with the modern gaming industry, passing the torch and continuing to support the community.

The Unsung Heroes

Stop Killing Games is ultimately an example of modern-day activism. There are many (too many) predatory industries that take advantage of consumers for the sake of profit, hopefully the gaming industry does not become one of these. There will always be some companies who exist solely for profit, however there will always be the unsung heroes of the community who petition, promote alternatives, and create new solutions. As for the ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’ initiative, the European Commission is to report on the application of the Directive on Digital Content and Digital Services before the end of 2026, with active enforcement of existing consumer rights to incentivise longer lifespans for video games.

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