The Video Games Europe Association, which includes over 700 game development and publishing companies, commented on the Stop Killing Games campaign, which calls for legislative changes to maintain access to games after support ends.
Video Games Europe said the initiative's requirements could limit developers' freedom, create security risks, infringe copyright and lead to high costs.
"In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create," writes Video Games Europe.
YouTuber Accursed Farms, who started the Stop Killing Games initiative, responded to Video Games Europe's statement, stressing that the movement is not demanding perpetual service, but only asking for permission for private servers if companies end support. He notes that some of the association's arguments are manipulative.
According to the activist, the main difficulties arise not from gameplay components, but from secondary services - such as streaming, chats or anti-cheat. He also claims that legislative changes may allow publishers to officially refuse support, but on condition that the game is opened to fan servers or an offline mode is launched.
Scott cites the example of the shutdown of The Crew, which occurred less than four months after its announcement — according to one German lawyer, such actions may violate consumer rights under EU law.
The Stop Killing Games campaign has already collected over 1 million signatures as part of the European Citizens' Initiative, but to be officially considered, it needs to reach 1.4 million signatures by July 31, 2025. If successful, the European Commission is required to consider the request and provide an official response.