The gamers taking on the industry to stop it switching off games

Stop Killing Games isn't asking for eternal server support. They want publishers to patch games so they remain playable after official support ends, either locally or through community servers.

The campaign started after Ubisoft shut down The Crew in 2024, making a fully paid game completely unplayable. Thousands of players lost access to something they'd bought outright, and that sparked real anger about digital ownership.

The movement has collected signatures for petitions in the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, and Brazil. They're targeting consumer protection laws that already exist, arguing that rendering a purchased product unusable should qualify as unfair business practice.

For AI builders and tech professionals, this hits close to home. The same questions about access, ownership, and post-sale obligations are surfacing around AI tools and services. What happens when an API you built on gets deprecated? When a model you pay for gets shut down?

Publishers argue that ongoing server costs and security risks make this impractical. But Stop Killing Games points to countless examples of games that released server software or modding tools, letting communities keep things running for decades.

The campaign isn't expecting quick wins. Regulatory processes take years. But they're betting that once lawmakers understand the issue, the consumer protection angle will be hard to ignore.

Whether it's games, software, or AI services, the core tension is the same. Companies want flexibility to sunset products. Customers want something resembling ownership for what they paid for. Stop Killing Games is testing whether regulators will pick a side.