Ubisoft has shut down the servers of its racing game The Crew, rendering the game unusable even for those who had purchased it. This closure has sparked outrage within the community, which argues that the company could have implemented an offline mode that would allow playing against artificial intelligence. In light of this controversy, Ubisoft has announced that its sequel, The Crew 2, and the upcoming title The Crew Motorfest will include such an offline mode, but the criticism has led the company to face potential legal action that could redefine players’ rights in the gaming community.
#StopKillingGames is what can ensure that tomorrow you can continue playing your favorite game
In response to this situation, the #StopKillingGames initiative has emerged, driven by Daniel Ondruska, with the aim of protecting the rights of gamers. This proposal seeks to demand that developers implement offline modes in their video games, ensuring that they do not become obsolete once the servers are shut down. To advance this legislation, the project needs to reach one million signatures and gain support from seven countries in the European Union.
As of today, the initiative has collected 756,799 signatures, which means that 243,201 more supports are still needed before July 31 for the European Commission to evaluate the proposal. Recently, prominent figures from the gaming world such as PewDiePie and Gamers Nexus have publicly endorsed the initiative, contributing to a remarkable increase of 200,000 signatures in recent weeks.
It is important to note that the proposal does not require developers to keep servers running indefinitely, but advocates for alternatives that allow games to be “reasonably playable” even after support ceases. The possibility of signing this proposal is open, but it requires an ID, full name, and passing a captcha, emphasizing the community’s need to preserve the integrity of the medium.