Games Industry Lobby Against Stop Killing Games As Movement Gains Support From Lawmakers

TL;DR

The ESA is lobbying against consumer-protection legislation while Stop Killing Games gains legislative support in both the EU and California.

Key Points

• 1.Stop Killing Games has achieved significant legislative momentum. The European Citizens Initiative surpassed 1 million signatures, leading to a European Parliament hearing where MPs showed overwhelming support, putting the EU on a path toward binding legislation.
• 2.California's Protect Our Games Act (AB1921) is a key US battleground. Stop Killing Games helped draft the bill, which requires publishers to provide a playable version, patch, or refund when they shut down services for a paid game.
• 3.The ESA formally opposed AB1921, calling it fundamentally flawed. In an official letter, the Entertainment Software Association — representing major US publishers — asked lawmakers for a 'no vote,' claiming games are licensed not sold and that the bill threatens the entire game ecosystem.
• 4.The ESA's core arguments mirror previously debunked talking points. It cited expired third-party licenses, server complexity, security risks, and prohibitive costs — the same claims Stop Killing Games has publicly refuted multiple times, noting they offer no new substance.
• 5.The licensing and copyright arguments made by the ESA are disputed. Stop Killing Games counters that expired third-party licenses affect future sales but do not justify disabling private use by people who already bought the game, comparing it to a company reclaiming a physical Michael Jordan figurine after a license expires.
• 6.The Crew 2 disproves the 'technically impossible' offline mode claim. After pressure from the Stop Killing Games movement — which originated with The Crew 1's shutdown — The Crew 2 successfully added a hybrid offline mode, demonstrating that end-of-life functionality patches are achievable.
• 7.Stop Killing Games clarifies its proposal is minimal and reasonable. It does not demand servers run forever; it simply requires that if a paid game is made unplayable, publishers must provide notice plus a remedy — a functional patch or a refund — calling the ESA's 'fewer games, higher costs' prediction fear-mongering.