“Stop Destroying Videogames” crosses nearly 1.3M signatures
The European Commission has confirmed receipt of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) called “Stop Destroying Videogames”. Organisers submitted the initiative after it reached 1,294,188 validated statements of support and met national thresholds in 24 EU Member States. The Commission’s formal reply is due by July 27, 2026.
The initiative asks for an EU-level requirement that publishers selling or licensing videogames leave games in a functional state when support ends. The stated target is preventing publishers from remotely disabling games, including cases where servers are switched off and the game becomes unusable.
This campaign grew after Ubisoft’s handling of The Crew. Ubisoft announced the game would be delisted and remain playable only until March 31, 2024, with servers shut down after that date. In April 2024, reports said Ubisoft began pulling licenses from owners’ accounts, which removed access even for people who had paid for the game.
Source: Stop Killing Games
The ECI itself was registered on June 19, 2024, opened signature collection on July 31, 2024, and closed on July 31, 2025. The ECI portal lists verification steps continuing into August 2025 before the final submission to the Commission.
Commission to examine European Citizens’ Initiative called ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’
Today, the European Citizens’ Initiative called ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’ was submitted by its organisers to the European Commission. Following its registration in June 2024, the initiative obtained 1,294,188 validated statements of support from EU citizens and reached required thresholds in 24 Member States, making it the 14th valid initiative that will be examined by the Commission. According to the ECI Regulation, when the Commission receives a valid initiative with at least 1 million certified statements of support, the Commission is required to start an examination process and issue a reply within 6 months.
The organisers of the initiative call on the Commission to introduce a requirement for publishers selling or licensing videogames in the EU to leave such games in a functional state, so as to prevent publishers from remotely disabling videogames.
The Commission has until 27 July 2026 to present its official reply, outlining the actions it intends to take, if any. The Commission will meet the organisers to discuss the initiative in detail in the coming weeks. A public hearing will then be organised by the European Parliament.
Next steps are procedural. The Commission is expected to meet the organisers and the European Parliament will hold a public hearing. A successful ECI does not automatically become EU law, and the Commission is not required to propose legislation, but a response within six months is mandatory.
Source: European Commission
