Why Game Studios Killing Online Games Is Facing Its Biggest Backlash Yet
This is the ultimate rebuke of studios killing their online games
Game publishers often shut down servers or delist games, making them unplayable. The Stop Killing Games movement, led by YouTuber Ross Scott, is pushing back hard against this trend, calling it a “radical assault on consumer rights and even the concept of ownership itself.” Scott recently released an 11-minute video that dismantles common arguments against game preservation. If you care about keeping your games alive, it’s definitely worth a watch.
- What the Stop Killing Games movement is all about
- How Ubisoft’s shutdown of The Crew sparked the initiative
- The movement’s growing support in Europe
- Industry pushback and the arguments used
- Ross Scott’s detailed rebuttal to those arguments
- How you can help before the signature deadline
The movement and its origins
The Stop Killing Games movement started last year after Ubisoft shut down servers for The Crew, which led to a lawsuit because the game became unplayable. Since then, the movement has gained momentum, recently hitting over 1 million signatures in its European citizens’ initiative. This milestone means the European Commission must respond.
The core goal is to stop publishers from remotely disabling games without offering ways for players to keep playing, even offline. This would prevent situations like with Anthem, which won’t be playable after its servers shut down in January 2026.
Industry pushback and questionable arguments
Video Games Europe, a lobbying group, responded with typical industry rhetoric. They claimed such regulations would “curtail developer choice” and make games too expensive to create. They even published a five-page paper defending the right to shut down games, effectively taking away what players paid for.
Ross Scott’s strong rebuttal
In his video, Scott calls out Video Games Europe for being “ideologically opposed to us being able to retain our games.” He challenges their claim that players always get fair notice, pointing out Ubisoft gave less than four months’ warning for The Crew, which may not even be legal.
Scott also disputes the idea that private servers aren’t viable alternatives after official support ends. He suggests changes to End-user license agreements (EULAs) could protect publishers from liability if players continue using games post-shutdown, allowing private servers to keep games alive.
His full rebuttal is a must-watch for anyone concerned about the ongoing trend of killing online games: “Remember, everything [the lobby group is] saying here is their excuse for taking away your purchase with no timeframe given and destroying it forever.”
What’s next for Stop Killing Games?
The signature collection for the initiative ends on July 31. The movement aims to gather at least 1.4 million signatures to secure a strong position, accounting for potential invalid signatures. For more info, check out their FAQ page.
Watch Ross Scott’s video here:
