“Stop Killing Games” becomes an NGO
The project “Stop Killing Games” wants to fight for the preservation of video games in the long term: an NGO is to lobby in Europe and the USA.
Screenshot from "The Crew", which has not been playable since 2024.
(Image: Ubisoft)
The initiative “Stop Killing Games” wants to establish itself as a professional NGO (Non-governmental organization) to represent its interests long-term in the USA and Europe. This is reported by YouTuber and activist Ross Scott, who initiated the project, in a current video.
“Stop Killing Games” wants to prevent video games from being completely shut down, as often happens with online games by shutting down servers. The project recently made headlines primarily with the successful citizens' initiative “Stop Destroying Videogames”, which was able to collect almost 1.3 million signatures. The activists are currently preparing for their meeting with the EU Commission.
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Lobbying in Europe and the USA
However, the project is not intended to end with the citizens' initiative – regardless of whether the EU accepts the proposals from “Stop Killing Games”. With two pillars, the activists want to engage in long-term lobbying in Europe and the USA to advocate for the interests of players and draw the attention of supervisory authorities to grievances.
Above all, the activists want to counter the lobbyists of the game companies, says Scott. “This will also signal that we are not just going to give up on this issue.” The organization is also intended to ensure that “Stop Killing Games” continues to exist without the founder's significant personal commitment: Scott told the gaming magazine PC Gamer that he intends to hand over the project's baton in the long run. Moritz Katzner will lead the work in the EU.
Videos by heise
Meeting with the EU Commission
“Stop Killing Games” calls on developers to provide their games in a permanently playable state. Especially with online games, it is common for developers to shut down their servers and the titles are then no longer playable at all. The activists demand that games remain playable offline in such cases.
Scott initiated the initiative when Ubisoft shut down the MMO racing game “The Crew” in 2024. “Stop Killing Games” can already celebrate initial tangible successes: partly due to the activists' pressure, Ubisoft has decided to provide an offline mode for other games in the “The Crew” series after server shutdown.
On Monday, “Stop Killing Games” will meet with the EU Commission: the activists will then hand over the signatures collected as part of the EU citizens' initiative to the EU. The Commission has until July 27 to respond to the request.
(dahe)
