The EU Commission has said it will engage with the game industry following the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) on the disabling of video games by publishers, referring to the Stop Killing Games initative (also known as Stop Destroying Videogames).
Via a press release issued yesterday, the Commission says it plans to engage with consumers and publishers by the end of 2026 to “explore ways to improve industry standards.”
For context, the ECI invited the Commission to propose legislation that ensures players can continue to play video games after the publishers stop providing support for them commercially. At this stage, the Commission cites existing intellectual property rights as a barrier to imposing legal obligations on publishers.
For example, under EU copyright law, rights holders enjoy exclusive rights over their creations. Other intellectual property rights may also be relevant as they may protect different visual and technological aspects of a video game.
Yet, the Commission has “committed” to taking several steps. The first involves initiating an exchange with the video game industry and consumer representatives. The aim is to draw up an industry code of conduct on managing video games’ “end of life.”
The Commission says it will work with consumer organizations and authorities to raise awareness about the applicable rights of consumers, including safeguards that protect their economic interests.
“The Commission will report on the application of the Directive on digital content and digital services before the end of the year,” the announcement reads. “Active enforcement of these existing consumer rights can also incentivize the providers to offer video games with longer lifespans and explore solutions for meeting consumer expectations.”
The Commission also mentions that existing EU consumer law already provides some safeguards. For example, video game providers must inform consumers about the duration and the conditions for terminating the contract before the consumers sign up for a video game.
“The Directive on digital content and digital services provides consumers with remedies when the content or service provided does not conform with the contract and what consumers could reasonably expect. Consumers may be entitled to proportionate refund of their purchases,” the Commission said.
The European consumer movement Stop Killing Games started back in 2024, a year after Ubisoft delisted The Crew from digital marketplaces and then shut down its servers, rendering the game permanently unplayable. This was aggravated when players started receiving a notification that their game license was being revoked without any refunds. Despite backlash, Ubisoft’s stance was that consumers only bought a limited access to the game, not full ownership.
Now, in April of this year, French consumer association UFC-Que Choisir sued Ubisoft over The Crew’s shutdown. The lawsuit alleges that Ubisoft misled consumers about the permanence of their purchase, and imposed abusive contractual clauses stripping players of ownership rights.
While the consumer association filed the lawsuit, the Stop Killing Games group is backing it, having united more than 1.3 million signatures. That passed the threshold mandating a review by the EU executive, which is expected to present its findings by the end of July.