The “Stop Killing Games” project initiative was discussed in the British Parliament last week. She is committed to ensuring that publishers are no longer allowed to simply switch off games after a certain period of time.
Read more after the ad
The British government had already commented on the request in advance and signaled that it would not change the relevant laws. With around 190,000 signatures, the initiative’s petition had broken the threshold of 100,000 signatures required for it to be discussed in the British House of Representatives. British Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, Stephanie Peacock, took questions from MPs.
The main demand from Stop Killing Games: Game manufacturers would have to take care of a perspective for their games after the official end of support. The initiative brought continued operation, for example by fans, into play. The trigger for Stop Killing Games was the case of the MMO racing game “The Crew,” which Ubisoft pulled the plug on April 1, 2024 after ten years. The successor “The Crew 2” can now be played offline.
A cultural loss
Parliamentarian Henry Tufnell made one of many contributions to the debate, pointing to the cultural loss in cases such as that of “The Crew”. “As activists have rightly argued, we would view it as a cultural tragedy if every copy of a book, film or song were destroyed. We should view the loss of video games in the same way.”
It shouldn’t be possible to intentionally deactivate all copies of a game sold, leaving consumers with nothing, stressed MP Mark Sewards. It’s similar to other products, such as an electronics company ending support for an old printer because it “still prints documents.” However, he did not mention that the right cartridges would still have to be available for an old printer.
Too much impact on industry
Peacock showed understanding for the ideas of Stop Killing Games, but from the perspective of the video game industry the proposal was difficult to implement. The government fears “negative technical impacts” on video game development. “It’s true that there are some games where it would be relatively easy to add an offline mode after the initial release, but for games whose systems were designed specifically for an online experience, this would not be possible without extensive redevelopment,” Peacock said. Requiring an end-of-life plan for all games would fundamentally change the way games are developed and distributed. This suggestion is by no means easy to implement or cost-effective.
Read more after the ad
The idea of putting a game in the hands of its fans after the official end of support is particularly legally sensitive. Particularly when it comes to the question of who is legally responsible for ensuring that the game remains safe and complies with legal regulations. “Potential confusion leading to blame being placed on the original developer or otherwise damaging its reputation,” Peacock said.
Better communication needed
Peacock fundamentally stuck with the government’s position of not changing the current law here. “The laws work, but companies need to communicate better here,” said Peacock. Game manufacturers would therefore have to better inform their customers about the point in time at which a video game will probably no longer be playable. To this end, the government is considering commissioning the consumer protection organization Chartered Trading Standards Institute to develop guidelines. She has also repeatedly made it clear that the British government recognizes the cultural value of video games.
There is also the EU-wide petition “Stop Destroying Games” with the same concern. This also reached the necessary signatures, in this case one million. They are currently being checked for authenticity. If this is ensured, the European Parliament must deal with the petition.
(nen)
