The European Commission has declined to propose a law that would force video game publishers to keep discontinued games playable, dealing a setback to the Stop Killing Games movement and its formal EU petition, the European Citizens’ Initiative known as “Stop Destroying Videogames.” Instead of new rules, the Commission says it will bring publishers and consumer groups together to draft a voluntary code of conduct covering how games are handled at the end of their commercial life.
Quick answer: No new EU law is coming. The Commission ruled on June 16, 2026 that it “cannot propose a legal obligation” to keep games playable after they stop being sold, citing copyright and intellectual property limits, and will pursue a non-binding industry code plus better enforcement of existing consumer rights.
What the European Commission decided
In its official response, the Commission stated that “at this stage it cannot propose a legal obligation to keep video games playable after they stop being provided commercially.” The reasoning leans heavily on intellectual property law. Rights holders already hold exclusive rights over their creations, and separate protections can cover the visual and technical elements of a game, which the Commission treats as a barrier to mandating perpetual playability.
Rather than legislating, the Commission pointed to enforcement of rules that already exist. Under EU consumer protection law, companies must tell buyers how long a game will be supported before purchase. If a title is shut down earlier than promised, players may be entitled to a partial refund. The Commission argued that “active enforcement of these existing consumer rights” could push publishers toward longer support windows and alternative solutions when a game reaches the end of its life. Full details are laid out in the Commission’s press release.
How the petition reached this point
The campaign centers on a simple demand. Publishers should leave games in a playable state before walking away from them, especially when those games were sold as finished products. Organizers have repeatedly clarified they are not asking companies to support old titles forever or to release source code, only to avoid leaving paying customers with software that no longer runs.
Momentum built after Ubisoft took down the servers for its online racing game The Crew, making it permanently unplayable for buyers. That shutdown fueled a broader fight over digital ownership and led French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir to sue Ubisoft, alleging buyers were misled about how long the game would stay available. Ubisoft’s position is that players bought a licence for access, not ownership of the game itself.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| January 2026 | Initiative confirmed with 1,294,188 verified statements of support, clearing the one million threshold |
| February 2026 | Initiative formally presented to the European Commission |
| April 2026 | European Parliament hearing held |
| May 2026 | Plenary debate in the European Parliament |
| June 16, 2026 | Commission declines new legislation, backs a voluntary code |
What the voluntary code of conduct covers
Instead of binding requirements, the Commission will work with consumer organisations and industry representatives to draw up a code of conduct on managing video games’ end of life. The goal is a shared rulebook for how publishers handle titles as they reach the end of their commercial support.
There is an important limit here. The Commission has not outlined any binding obligations or enforcement mechanisms for the code. Alongside it, the regulator plans to work with consumer groups and authorities to raise awareness of the rights players already hold, including how to claim refunds when a game is abandoned earlier than advertised.
How Stop Killing Games is responding
Organizers say the outcome did not catch them off guard. Founder Ross Scott had predicted that the most likely result would be “a non-binding communication and nothing changes,” and argued ahead of the ruling that “the Commission’s decision doesn’t really matter” to the campaign’s longer-term goals. Following the announcement, the campaign posted that the decision was “not unexpected” and that it was “prepared.”
The campaign’s focus has shifted toward lawmakers rather than the Commission. Scott pointed to inroads in the European Parliament, including an inquiry calling for legislative action that he said was signed by 45 Members of the European Parliament, and claimed organizers are positioned to pass legislation “even without the Commission’s blessing.” A key target is folding the campaign’s core concepts into the Digital Fairness Act.
The group has laid out a regional plan for the months ahead:
- United States: The legal and policy team continues pushing the Protect Our Games (POG) Act, which recently passed a full California State Assembly vote, toward becoming law.
- European Union: The EU team is setting up an own-initiative report within the European Parliament, rewriting the POG Act’s concepts to fit EU law, and working with groups such as the European People’s Party and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats to attach the proposals to existing legislative vehicles.
- United Kingdom: The UK team is pivoting to a new effort called Stop Killing the Internet, launched with civil liberties organizations including the Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch, Index on Censorship, Progressive Victory, and The Pirate Party.
What this means for players right now
For now, there is no legal requirement forcing publishers to preserve access to discontinued games in the EU. Studios can still take servers offline once support ends. What players do retain is the existing protection that a game’s supported lifespan must be disclosed before purchase, with a possible partial refund if a title is shut down sooner than stated. The fight over digital ownership and game preservation is far from settled, with campaigners pressing forward in the European Parliament and in California even after this decision.
