For the Players: What is the "Stop Killing Games" Movement?

"Stop Killing Games" is more than a hashtag; it's a global consumer-led movement fighting for a simple, powerful idea: when you buy a game, you should own it forever. 1 This initiative directly confronts the growing industry practice of building games, particularly single-player experiences, to depend on servers that are inevitably shut down, rendering them useless and unplayable for the very customers who paid for them. 2

The Spark of Rebellion: The Day The Crew Died

The movement exploded in April 2024, when YouTuber Ross Scott (of "Freeman's Mind" fame) drew a line in the sand after Ubisoft shut down its racing game, The Crew. 1 This wasn't just any online game; it had a rich single-player world that players had invested hours in. Yet, because it required a constant connection to Ubisoft's servers, the moment those servers went dark on March 31, 2024, the game was bricked for every single person who had purchased it. 1

The insult was compounded when Ubisoft began revoking game licenses from player accounts, essentially erasing their purchases from existence. 1 Scott labeled this an "assault on both consumer rights and preservation of media," igniting a fire with the Stop Killing Games website and a viral video that rallied gamers against the destruction of their own culture by its creators. 1

Our Demands: A Fair Future for Gaming

The core mission of Stop Killing Games is to forge a new standard where purchased games are permanent. We aren't demanding that companies keep servers online forever—that's often not feasible. 3 Instead, we demand a clear and fair "end-of-life" plan. Our key demands are:

  • Release an Offline Patch: Before shutting down servers, publishers must provide a patch that untethers single-player modes from the internet, allowing them to be played offline indefinitely. 1
  • Empower the Community: For multiplayer-centric games, publishers should release the tools necessary for the community to host their own private servers, keeping the spirit of the game alive. 1
  • Solidify Our Rights: We are pushing for changes to consumer protection laws that would make it illegal for a company to sell a product and then unilaterally destroy it without offering a way for it to continue being used. 2

A Global Uprising: Our Voices Are Being Heard

This is not a niche complaint; it's a global movement. Backed by major gaming personalities and hundreds of thousands of players, our message is resonating worldwide. 1 2 We are taking concrete action through official channels:

  • European Citizens' Initiative: A landmark petition designed to compel the European Commission to debate and legislate on this issue, requiring over a million signatures from across the EU. 4
  • UK Parliament Petition: A parallel effort in the United Kingdom to force a parliamentary debate on protecting our digital purchases. 1
  • Worldwide Complaints: We are encouraging gamers everywhere to file formal complaints with consumer protection agencies in their home countries, from France to Australia. 2

The battle is far from over, but we are already winning. The public outcry forced Ubisoft to announce it was exploring an offline mode for The Crew 2—proof that our collective voice has power. 2 Our ultimate goal is simple and non-negotiable: when you buy a game, it is yours. To play. Forever. 5