Game News

EU says no new law for Stop Killing Games, offering a voluntary code after 1.29m signatures

The European Commission replied on 16 June to the European citizens' initiative “Stop Destroying Videogames”, the campaign known as Stop Killing Games, and declined to propose new legislation, Dexerto reported. The 14th successful citizens' initiative gathered over 1.29 million valid signatures and met the thresholds in 24 member states, according to the European Commission's own announcement.

The Commission said a legal obligation to keep discontinued games playable “would not be proportionate”, citing intellectual property, confidential business information, publisher costs and security risks. Instead, by the end of 2026 it will start talks with industry and consumer representatives on a voluntary code of conduct, work to raise awareness of consumer rights and report on how the Digital Content Directive applies to discontinued games, UK law firm Lewis Silkin summarised.

“We're in a position to pass legislation on this even without the Commission's blessing” — Stop Killing Games, via Dexerto

How each outlet framed it

• Dexerto — the campaign's view: the decision was “not unexpected”, and it is now pushing MEPs to add its demands to the upcoming Digital Fairness Act. It also noted UFC-Que Choisir's legal action against Ubisoft over The Crew.
• Lewis Silkin — what it means for publishers: a voluntary code could become a de facto benchmark, set beside the UK's refusal to change consumer law and California's Protect Our Games Act.
• European Commission — the bare facts: date, signatures and member-state thresholds.

What we don't know yet: What the code of conduct will contain. Dexerto said it could include clearer storefront labelling about discontinuation, but would not legally require offline patches or private server tools.