Stop Killing Games vs The European Commission
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The European Commission responded to the European Citizen Initiative brought forward by the Stop Killing Games movement. The Initiative has been signed by more than one million people, which forced the Commission to officially acknowledge it. In a shocking turn of events, the European Commission sided with corporations instead of the citizens of Europe.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, let me show you a graphical representation of what the Commission's response basically amounts to:
See the literal quote below:
Answer of the European Commission
Main conclusions of the Communication:
In its reply, the Commission cannot propose a legal obligation to keep video games playable after they stop being provided commercially. However, existing EU consumer law already provides for important safeguards for consumers. In reply to the ECI, the Commission will:
- initiate, by end 2026, an exchange with the video game industry and consumer representatives with the aim to draw up an industry code of conduct on managing video games’ ‘end of life’.
- work with consumer organisations and authorities to raise awareness about the applicable consumers’ rights, including safeguards protecting their interests.
Active enforcement of the existing consumer rights can also incentivise the providers to offer video games with longer lifespans.
I can't help but consider this to be both a giant fuck-you dismissal to the people, and an enormous fuck-me invitation to the corporations. Of course, let them write an "industry code of conduct", that will definitely help and not end up being useless. The Commission seems to believe that the same industry that puts always-online DRM and kill switches in single-player games, and that no longer provides a way for LAN play (which used to be ubiquitous) but requires everything to run on servers controlled by corporations will, for some inscrutable reason, decide to actually do the right thing and stop doing all that.
Colour me sceptical.
Also, consider the fact that this wholesale dismissal comes right after Ubisoft, a video-game company and part of the industry, had a sweet little tête-à-tête with the Commission. I do not want to accuse anyone of anything, but it seems mighty suspicious when the corporation that caused the whole situation meets with the politicians, and soon afterwards those politicians give the citizens' initiative a response that sides completely with the industry. I surely hope no member of the Commission will receive a cushy position at Ubisoft after the dust settles; no that such a thing could ever happen, of course.
It is not that the EU can't do anything right, because it can. I hoped this could be a win similar to the One Charger To Rule Them All one, but apparently that will not be the case here.
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