The grassroots “Stop Killing Games” initiative has secured its first major political endorsement as Nicolae Stefanuta, an independent Member of the European Parliament from Romania, officially announced his support for the campaign. This backing marks a big moment for the movement that pushes for consumer rights to access digital games even after publishers pull the plug on online services.
The Stop Killing Games initiative is all about making sure gamers can keep playing titles they’ve bought, even when companies shut down servers or stop offering support. The campaign wants new rules that would force publishers to either let players access games after support ends or release the code so fans can run servers themselves.
Stefanuta’s backing is the first time a European Parliament member has formally supported the initiative. While he’s not part of a big political party, his support could really help get the campaign noticed in EU lawmaking circles.
The movement already has a ton of momentum, recently reaching over 1 million signatures from people across the EU. This growing support shows that digital ownership and game preservation are issues lots of Europeans care about.
Besides Stefanuta, other European politicians have given the campaign a thumbs up. Markéta Gregorová, from the European Parliament, and Polish politician Adrian Zandberg have both said they’re behind the cause, which could mean more politicians join in soon.
Things look different in the UK, where the government hasn’t changed consumer protection laws, even though people have petitioned over similar worries about digital game preservation.
The initiative tackles a real issue in the gaming world: “live service” games and titles with online features often stop working when publishers take servers offline. Without legal safeguards, people can end up losing access to stuff they paid for, which brings up some tough questions about who really owns digital games.
