“Don’t Let This Discourage You” — The European Commission Will Not Support Stop Killing Games, but Maybe That’s Not Even Necessary

The European Commission has decided not to introduce legislation that would prevent the shutdown of games. Ross Scott of Stop Killing Games, however, is neither surprised nor discouraged by this.

The Stop Killing Games initiative has made a big splash in recent months. After nearly nearly 1.3 million signatureswere collected against the permanent shutdown of games, supporters—led by YouTuber Scott Ross—succeeded in drawing the European Union’s attention.

The European Commission considered whether to propose a new law on this matter to the European Parliament. Now the decision has been made:The Commission has decided not to introduce new legislationand instead intends only to work with industry and consumer representatives to develop acode of conductregarding the end-of-life of video games, which, however, does not include any of the initiative’s demands.

Just as expected

A disappointing end for the initiative’s supporters. But Scott Ross, the founder of Stop Killing Games, isn’t surprised—and he isn’t discouraged.

Ross explainsin a livestream following the announcement of the decision that, after several meetings, he hadn’t been hoping for any support from the EU Commission anyway. This is because the Commission had met with industry representatives and lobbyists far more frequently. Furthermore, Ross had already gotten the impression during his discussions with the Commission that it was unwilling to rule in favor of Stop Killing Games.

So why is Ross still hopeful?In fact, there’s no need for an entirely new legislative proposal addressing Stop Killing Games’ demands. That’s because theDigital Fairness Actis already in the works—and it perfectly addresses the issues raised by Stop Killing Games. This new law is intended to prevent harmful online practices that cost consumers nearly 8 billion euros per year.

According to Ross, there is a majority in Parliamentin support of Stop Killing Games’ demands, so the odds look good. Shortly before the Commission’s decision was announced, he emphasized in a videoevenour position is better than we could have ever dared to dream. He stated that the commission’s decision is, in essence, no longer decisive in this matter.

So “Stop Killing Games” is far from over. In California, supporters have already achieved some success, even though the new law is once again under fire from the industry. However, it could still take some time before the Digital Fairness Act requires publishers in Europe to make games permanently accessible. As we all know, the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly.