Stop Killing Games (SKG) is a group of people who buy products and want to keep video games playable even after they are no longer available online. Ross Scott started SKG in 2024 after Ubisoft, a game company, stopped supporting The Crew, a racing game that needed an internet connection even though most of the game could be played alone. SKG uses legal methods to encourage game companies to ensure games can still be played after they are no longer supported, challenging the trend of selling games as temporary "licenses" or services that can be canceled.
SKG became well-known quickly, with many YouTubers and news sources discussing it. Celebrities, politicians, and game developers praised SKG for addressing a long-standing issue in the video game industry. However, some people expressed concerns, pointing out challenges such as managing licensed and proprietary content and the higher costs of preserving games.
SKG has started several petitions to government officials. The most well-known is a European Citizens' Initiative called Stop Destroying Videogames, which received about 1.3 million valid signatures. Another petition to the UK Parliament gained enough support for a formal debate, but no changes to the law were made.
Background
The Crew was a 2014 racing game created by Ubisoft Ivory Tower and Ubisoft Reflections, and released by Ubisoft. The game required an internet connection at all times to play, even in single-player mode, because of its always-on DRM system. On December 14, 2023, Ubisoft removed The Crew and its expansions from digital stores, stopped selling microtransactions, and announced that the game’s servers would close on March 31, 2024, due to "upcoming server infrastructure and licensing constraints." The servers shut down as planned on that date. When the shutdown was announced, Ubisoft offered refunds to people who had recently purchased The Crew, but it did not specify how long the refund period would last. In early April 2024, shortly after the shutdown, Ubisoft began removing access rights to the game for players who had bought it.
Ross Scott is a YouTuber best known for his machinima series Freeman’s Mind and for managing the channel Accursed Farms. He has criticized the practice of shutting down online-only games, calling it "an attack on consumer rights and the preservation of media." He compared this practice to movie studios in the silent film era burning films to recover silver, noting that most films from that time are now lost. In 2019, Scott criticized the concept of "games as a service," calling it "fraud."
Overview
The main goal of Stop Killing Games is to stop video game companies from making purchased games unplayable, especially by closing servers for online-only games. It does not require companies to support or update games forever. Instead, it suggests that games should remain in a working condition after they are no longer supported, such as by adding an offline mode or allowing players to host private servers. Scott explained that the group does not focus on games that are no longer available for sale but can still be played, or on issues related to controlling money in games. A key concern is that online-only games and downloadable content are sold as purchases on game stores, even though companies might later stop allowing players to access them (without a set end date) for any reason. This practice is common in the gaming industry and has not been tested in court.
For many years, video games were often seen as children's toys or linked to geek culture, and politicians mostly ignored problems related to keeping games preserved or recognizing them as a form of art. Stop Killing Games aims to teach lawmakers about the artistic value of video games and their importance as products. It highlights the need to preserve games and raises concerns about how some companies may not fully respect player ownership or break consumer protection laws.
Stop Killing Games uses government programs and legal methods to push for rules that help preserve games. Countries with strong consumer protection laws, such as France and Germany, are a focus for the movement. Other countries, like Brazil, are less accessible because of a lack of sales data for a specific game. The United States is not seen as a good place for legal or political action due to a past court decision called ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg.
Activities
In April 2024, after The Crew shut down, Scott made a video called "The largest campaign ever to stop publishers destroying games" on his YouTube channel. He introduced a campaign named Stop Killing Games and created a website for it. He also supported petitions, such as one sent to the UK Parliament and another called the European Citizens' Initiative in the European Union. The European Citizens' Initiative collected over 350,000 signatures in its first two months. Scott also sent complaints about The Crew’s shutdown to groups like the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Protection in France and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in Australia. Later, the European Citizens' Initiative was renamed Stop Destroying Videogames to avoid confusion with the topic of violence in games. The campaign’s organizers worked with members of the European Parliament, including Niklas Nienaß from the Green Party and Patrick Breyer from the Pirate Party.
The UK government responded to the Parliament petition, saying that UK law does not require software companies to support older versions of their products. In May 2024, the petition was paused because of the 2024 general election. A new petition was started and quickly reached 10,000 signatures, which is the number needed for the government to respond.
In February 2025, the UK government said it had no plans to change laws about digital obsolescence. However, it noted that if companies claim a game will remain playable forever, the law might require the game to still work under those conditions. In May 2025, Scott shared a list of online-only games and their playability status. A report found that 68% of 738 games were unplayable or at risk. Only 16 games were saved by developers after being discontinued, while 110 were preserved by fans.
The European Citizens' Initiative gained many signatures at first but later slowed down, reaching about 450,000 signatures. This was less than the 1 million needed for the European Commission to act. In June 2025, Scott made a video expecting the initiative to fail and said the problem was not getting gamers to care, but getting people to care about anything. Support for the initiative grew after the video was released.
On July 2, 2025, the UK Parliament petition reached 100,000 signatures, making it eligible for debate. The next day, the European Citizens' Initiative reached 1 million signatures, qualifying it for discussion in the European Commission. Scott said more signatures were needed to counter invalid ones. The UK petition closed on July 14 with 189,887 signatures. The European Citizens' Initiative set a new goal of 1.4 million signatures, which was met by July 20. Scott mentioned a cryptocurrency named Stop Killing Games, calling it a scam and saying it was unrelated to him or the campaign.
On July 21, 2025, Scott made a video about a complaint filed against the EU petition, claiming the campaign did not provide clear information about funding. Scott denied the claim, saying the initiative had no financial support and that organizers had asked EU representatives if their help was acceptable. He also stated the EU petition was separate from the Stop Killing Games campaign and had its own organizers. The complaint was anonymous, and Scott suspected video game industry representatives were behind it.
On July 29, 2025, Scott encouraged people to share feedback on the EU’s Digital Fairness Act. On July 31, the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative closed with about 1.4 million signatures. Initial checks showed 97% of the signatures were valid, meaning the EU might need to address the petition. On August 4, Scott said the campaign had "changed the timeline" and noted that without Stop Killing Games, games like Overwatch might have been shut down without attention. He also mentioned he had not played a game in months and planned a "standby break" from the campaign. On October 26, Moritz Katzner, a Stop Killing Games organizer, shared updates about the European Citizens' Initiative and the Digital Fairness Act, which he called "record-breaking." He said most game studios, especially in Europe, had listened to players, but the issue of game preservation was driven by a small group.
After the 2019 game Anthem shut down on January 12, 2026, the Stop Killing Games account said players should decide when to stop using a game, not companies. It used the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure" to address Anthem’s poor reputation. On January 26, 2026, the Stop Killing Games team said the European Citizens' Initiative had 1,294,188 valid signatures, or 89% of the total. The European Commission said it would discuss the initiative by July 27, 2026, and possibly hold a public hearing.
On February 19, 2026, Scott announced two new Stop Killing Games NGOs in the EU and the US. These groups would help oppose lobbying efforts and report delisted games to consumer agencies. Moritz Katzner, a German political leader, leads the EU efforts. Scott said the video game industry spends more on lobbyists than it would take to improve its development process.
On February 23, 2026, a meeting between Stop Killing Games and EU Parliament members took place in Brussels. Markéta Gregorová, an MEP from the Greens–European Free Alliance, talked about the impact of campaigning, mentioning the Chat Control proposal, which was criticized as invasive. She said the upcoming Digital Fairness Act would allow the Parliament to make changes. Katzner said the meeting was "fine" and showed support from both left- and right-wing politicians.
Reactions
In 2024, a video titled "Stop Killing Games" was released and quickly gained attention. It was shared by many gaming news websites and YouTubers. Streamer Jason Hall, who also uses the name PirateSoftware, criticized the campaign in a video on his channel. Scott, the creator of the initiative, believes Hall's response slowed the campaign's progress. On June 23, 2025, Scott publicly criticized Hall after repeated attempts to get clarification were ignored. Scott said Hall did not understand the campaign's purpose and misunderstood its goals. Other YouTubers, such as Cr1TiKaL, supported Scott and shared similar criticisms of Hall.
Many well-known gaming creators, including xQc, Asmongold, PewDiePie, and jacksepticeye, as well as consumer rights activist Louis Rossmann, supported the initiative. Nicolae Ștefănuță, a member of the European Parliament, endorsed the European Citizens' Initiative. Markus Persson, the creator of Minecraft, also supported the movement. Owlcat Games, the studio behind Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, said, "Every player deserves lasting access to what they've paid for." Alanah Pearce, a game journalist, interviewed 20 developers. While some questioned the petition's clarity, all supported the movement. They also noted that the initiative might challenge current efforts to preserve video games.
Sergio Ferrera, an intellectual property lawyer, said the petition has good intentions but could cause more harm than good. He explained that real change requires proposals that consider legal rules, contracts, and server technology. He noted challenges in making server-dependent games work offline and potential legal issues with licensed content. In July 2025, Video Games Europe, a trade group in the European Union, said offering private servers or single-player modes would be too costly for developers and publishers. They also warned that fan-supported servers might create legal risks for companies.
Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software, praised the movement, recalling the emotional impact of shutting down Battleborn. He said the initiative comes from a desire to preserve meaningful experiences. Mark Darrah, a former BioWare employee, supported game preservation but noted that requiring permanent access might lead to higher costs elsewhere. He said the consequences of such demands might still be worth accepting.
UFC-Que Choisir, a French consumer group, said the information about The Crew was unclear, making it hard for buyers to know they only had the right to play the game. They are considering legal action. Maciej Gołębiewski, managing director of GOG, called game preservation a complex challenge, noting issues with ownership, technology, and profitability. He warned that limiting creators' freedom might reduce the number of games made. Dino Patti, co-founder of Playdead, criticized online digital obsolescence and said the initiative is a step forward.
Ubisoft initially did not comment on The Crew but later promised to add offline modes to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest after player backlash. The offline mode for The Crew 2 was added in October 2025, though The Crew was not mentioned. In April 2025, Ubisoft released a video about testing the offline mode, stating not all features would be available offline.
In July 2025, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told shareholders that the company provides information about how long games can be played and is working to ensure player satisfaction. He clarified that support for games cannot last forever. This response was criticized, as the goal of Stop Killing Games is to ensure games remain playable after being discontinued, not to demand endless support.
Debates
The UK Parliament petition debate occurred on November 3, 2025, and was broadcast live on the official UK Parliament YouTube channel. Different ideas were discussed by members of Parliament. Pam Cox, the MP for Colchester, said that current consumer protection laws are not strong enough and that video game publishers should "provide ways for players to keep or fix games" even after the games are no longer supported. Henry Tufnell, the MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, said that removing games "removes important cultural and artistic works that are valuable to society and the industry," adding that "if every copy of a book, film, or song were destroyed, it would be seen as a cultural tragedy." Mark Sewards, the MP for Leeds South West and Morley, compared ending support for games to a printer being turned off remotely after support ends, stating that publishers should offer a "reasonable" way for players to use games after support ends, such as through single-player modes or private servers.
The debate lasted about an hour. It was decided that no changes to the laws would be made, but the government would work to ensure that companies give consumers clear information. Stephanie Peacock, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth, said:
Although Katzner thought the outcome was not good enough, he said the UK efforts are "far from dead in the water." After the debate, Morton Atkins, chairperson and coordinator of the Green Party of England and Wales branch for Aylesbury Vale in Buckinghamshire, said he wanted to encourage the party’s MPs, who were not at the debate because there were few of them, to support the Stop Killing Games movement.
The European Citizens' Initiative was successfully submitted to the European Commission in February 2026. A public hearing at the European Parliament was held on April 16, 2026. Nils Ušakovs, the committee vice chair, emphasized the importance of the initiative, calling it a "concern for […] probably hundreds of millions of European citizens." Giuseppe Abbamonte, a European Commission director and copyright lawyer, said he would look into copyright rules that do not properly cover the video game industry and report his findings in July. Ross Scott was invited to speak because he often explains problems with arguments against the initiative. He said that customers who buy online-only games lack legal protection, pointing out that turning off products without customer input would be "outrageous in other industries." He compared terms of service in online-only games to an insurance policy that can be canceled by the seller at any time, for any or no reason, without a money-back guarantee, calling such practices "scams":
Scott also shared statistics about video game shutdowns, noting that 93.5% of 400 discontinued games were left in a state where they could not be used. He ended by welcoming solutions to the problem of preserving online games, explaining that the movement focuses on protecting consumers and does not require changes to how companies make money as long as publishers provide enough support when games are no longer available.
Effects
In September 2024, California passed a new law called AB 2426. The law requires digital storefronts to tell users what they are getting when they make a purchase. It is now illegal for these stores to use the words "buy" or "purchase" if they only give users a license to use digital goods. This license can be taken away anytime, a common practice among online stores. The law does not apply to games that can be played offline permanently. The law became active on January 1, 2025. Some sources said the law influenced SKG. In October 2024, Steam added a message stating that buying a game only gives users a license, likely to follow the law. GOG.com, an online store that sells games without digital restrictions, responded by displaying a message saying its offline game installers "cannot be taken away."