The Stop Killing Games initiative has achieved a significant milestone in its campaign by obtaining verification of 1,294,188 of the 1,448,270 signatures needed, surpassing the one million threshold set by the European Parliament process. With this validation, the initiative is poised to advance its request for video game publishers to establish contingency plans for the end of the life cycle of their products, thereby ensuring continuous access for players.
The players have made their voices heard
Moritz Katzner, a volunteer from Stop Killing Games, announced in an official subreddit that the team decided to make a smaller announcement now, instead of waiting for a big reveal scheduled later, to avoid leaks to lobby groups and prevent burnout of their team. This proactive approach has allowed them to maintain focus on their goals while preparing their presentation to the European Commission.
With approximately 89% of the submitted signatures being legitimate, the failure rate is around 10%, one of the lowest among the EU Citizen Initiatives. Katzner emphasized that, despite facing resistance from some video game publishers, the initiative has resonated widely within the global gaming community.
The goal of Stop Killing Games is for developers not to be forced to maintain perpetual support, but rather to consider viable options to ensure access after the official closure of a game, such as the possibility of community-managed servers. This approach has gained support not only from players but also from those who advocate for consumer rights in the industry.
Previous initiatives have shown that citizens can propose regulations that are taken seriously by the European Commission, such as the ban on cage breeding and the inclusion of access to clean water as a human right. With this in mind, supporters of Stop Killing Games continue to eagerly await the next steps in their campaign.
