Videogames Europe has released a five-page document doubling down on its stance against the Stop Killing Games initiative, expanding on a previous statement it released days earlier.
Stop Killing Games is a consumer-focused movement that aims to prevent online games from becoming permanently unknown after official developer support ends.
First introduced by YouTuber Cursed Farms in April 2024, the movement has since surpassed the signature threshold for the European Citizens’ Initiative petition, meaning laws could be implemented to protect online gambling from being put out to pasture.
However, Videogames Europe, a Brussels-based trade association representing the European video game industry, has made its position clear: They are not excited about stopping the killing of games.
Europe’s video gamers continue to oppose stopping killing games
On July 7, VGE published a short statement on its website, saying that private servers are “not always a viable alternative option for players” and “would leave rights holders accountable”, arguing that the proposals set out to Stop Killing Games “would reduce developer choice, making these video games prohibitively expensive to create”.
On July 10, VGE expanded on this argument, releasing a five-page PDF breaking down its reasons for being against the move.
Most notably, the document argued that players purchase a license to access online games—not the game as a product, per se.
“The consumer does not acquire ownership of this video game. These clear intellectual property rights underpin the entire market and enable the strong investment the industry has seen for decades. There is no legal uncertainty about the status quo of video games,” the statement said.
VGE went on to explain that allowing private servers would put players at risk due to the lack of moderation controls, as well as potentially harm IPs. They also reiterated that this could negatively impact the industry by discouraging risk-taking.
“The requirements to implement these plans could lead to reduced risk, fewer investment projects in new game development, and potentially fewer jobs. Ultimately, this could lead to increased costs for consumers and fewer choices,” they wrote.
The organization also outlined the terms of EU consumer protection laws, noting that companies must give “reasonable notice before any termination of access rights” to a game you have purchased. EU law also requires that online services for games be “provided for a reasonable period of time, taking into account all relevant factors. It would be disproportionate for a specific duration to be imposed, as this would need to apply to all types of services, not just games.”
Despite their arguments against the Stop Killing Games initiative, the VGE ended their article with the promise that they are “committed to and actively support serious professional efforts to preserve video games and recognize the industry’s creative contributions” — but only “in circumstances that do not harm the rights of game companies under copyright law.”
As seen in their previous statement, this latest letter did not go down well with the wider gaming community. Thousands of players took to social media to object to VGE’s arguments, with one writing in X: “They’re talking as if private servers never existed for any game.”
“None of this is a problem for players or customers,” wrote another. “If companies want to avoid private servers like this, they need to keep their games running forever.”
The Stop Killing Games movement continues to roll forward and will be considered by the European Commission, having successfully reached 1.3 million signatures – although the cursed farms noted that a fair portion of these may have been falsified by petitioners outside the EU, encouraging people to sign despite reaching their goal.
