Stop Killing Games Celebrates Massive Victory After Successful European Parliament Hearing

TL;DR

Stop Killing Games achieved broad parliamentary support at its European hearing, with no MEPs opposing the initiative to legally protect purchased games from deletion.

Key Points

• 1.The European Citizens Initiative far surpassed its one-million-signature threshold. Launched in June 2024 and closing July 2025, the verified signature count gave Stop Killing Games the standing to formally address the European Parliament.
• 2.The European Parliament hearing was described as 'absolutely incredible' with unanimous positivity. MEP Anna Cavazini congratulated the team and confirmed support across all political groups; MEP Ilhan Cuchuk echoed broad committee support, and no single MEP responded negatively.
• 3.Ross Scott presented hard data showing 93.5% of 400 server-dependent games were disabled when support ended. He argued publishers knowingly sell temporary products as permanent one-time purchases, comparing the practice to scams and noting it causes more destruction to the medium than anything else.
• 4.California's Protect Our Games Act would require studios to either patch games for offline functionality or issue full refunds before shutting servers. Stop Killing Games is directly advising on drafting the legislation, and the bill also bans selling a game within two months of its end-of-life date.
• 5.The California bill includes targeted exemptions for subscription services, free-to-play games, and DRM-free offline downloads. Platforms like GOG that allow permanent offline copies are excluded, as are games users never paid to own outright.
• 6.Stop Killing Games leadership emphasized this is only a first step, with laws likely years away. Campaign general director Morates Katzmer noted the road is long, but the hearing's outcome and viral public support — including posts nearing 5 million views — signal unstoppable momentum.