Citizens' initiative: 1,294,188 signatures for "Stop Destroying Videogames"
The citizens' initiative "Stop Destroying Videogames" has collected 1,294,188 verified votes. Now the EU Commission has to deal with the topic.
Screenshot from "The Crew", which has not been playable since 2024.
(Image: Ubisoft)
The EU Commission must address the citizens' initiative "Stop Destroying Videogames", which aims to prevent the complete shutdown of video games, for example by shutting down servers for online games. The citizens' initiative was able to submit exactly 1,294,188 verified signatures to the EU. At least one million signatures are required before the EU Commission has to deal with an initiative.
In total, the citizens' initiative was able to collect around 1.45 million votes. However, they must be verified before they can be submitted to the EU Commission. The member states of the individual EU countries where the signatures were collected are responsible for this. They check, for example, whether the signatories are citizens, have reached the necessary minimum age, and whether all the information provided is correct and complete.
The majority of the votes originally cast for "Stop Destroying Videogames" have survived the check. This makes it official: the EU Commission must address the initiative's concerns. It has until July 27, 2026, to prepare a response. Until then, the EU Commissioners want to meet with the organizers of the initiative first, before the European Parliament organizes a public hearing, according to the website of the European Union.
Videos by heise
233,000 signatures from Germany
The aim of "Stop Destroying Videogames" is to prevent game companies from completely shutting down their titles. According to the organizers, the EU should oblige companies to keep video games in a functional state. The initiative, which is part of the "Stop Killing Games" project, was initiated by YouTuber Ross Scott after the French publisher Ubisoft made its MMO racing game "The Crew" unplayable in 2024. This is a common practice for online games. The organizers demand that such games must at least remain playable offline.
In a Reddit post, the organizers go into more detail about the distribution of verified votes: The largest share came from Germany with around 233,000 signatures, followed by France with 145,000 and Poland with 143,000 signatures. (dahe)
