The Stop Killing Games petition is a growing global movement launched by YouTuber Ross Scott, calling for laws that protect digital game ownership. It’s pushing the European Union to require publishers to keep games accessible even after official support ends — especially if they were sold digitally.
The goal is, if you buy a game, you should own the right to play it forever, not just while servers are running or publishers feel like keeping it alive.
This effort is quickly gaining traction, with over 900,000 signatures already collected. Once it hits 1 million EU-based signatures by July 31, 2025, the European Commission must review it and potentially take legislative action.
In a time when companies like PlayStation, Xbox, and even Nintendo are pushing digital-only consoles and selling game keycards instead of discs, this issue hits home. We’re seeing:
- Games being sold with always-online requirements, even for single-player.
- Publishers shutting down servers and rendering paid games completely unplayable.
- A future where ownership feels more like a rental.
Even though these platforms believe they’ll “never go down,” history says otherwise (RIP Stadia, various PS3/PSP stores, and dozens of MMOs). That’s why gamers deserve legal guarantees — not just promises — that what they buy will last.
We owe massive respect to Ross Scott, the creator of Freeman’s Mind, who spearheaded this campaign. He’s doing what big studios and platforms won’t: fighting for long-term player rights, not just quarterly profits.
Let’s hope the petition is taken seriously — and that the outcome benefits players, not just the publishers who keep getting bigger.
