The Stop Killing Games initiative, which aims to approach the European Commission on the topic of games preservation, and specifically, holding companies accountable when paid games are taken offline and deleted, has confirmed significant progress in its next steps.
As noted, Stop Killing Games is about challenging ‘the legality of publishers destroying video games they have sold to customers.’
‘An increasing number of video games are sold effectively as goods – with no stated expiration date – but designed to be completely unplayable as soon as support from the publisher ends,’ the organisation’s mission statement reads. ‘This practice is a form of planned obsolescence and is not only detrimental to customers, but makes preservation effectively impossible.’
To approach the EU Commission with these concerns at all, organisers needed to raise a significant amount of support online, so earlier this year, they set about collecting signatures from those concerned about future games preservation.
A sudden boost to the survey’s popularity in its final weeks briefly caused some concern, as organisers considered the signatures and support could have been artificially inflated, reducing the legitimacy of the movement – but it appears that’s not the case.
What’s next for the Stop Killing Games initiative?
Signatures are currently in the process of being verified by ‘national authorities’ and early findings suggest 97% of the signatures are legitimate, demonstrating verifiable support for the topic of games preservation to be set before the EU Commission. The road remains long, as verification will reportedly take about three months, but regardless, organisers remain positive.
‘[We’re now in] a very strong position going forward,’ they said. ‘Once [verification is] complete, we will personally deliver the petition to the European Commission. That moment will mark the start of the legislative phase – where the Commission and Parliament must decide how to respond.’
As noted by organisers, the work doesn’t stop here. Currently, they’re working to ensure the initiative ‘cannot be ignored’ which means, in addition to approaching the European Commission, they’re also outreaching to members of parliament in Europe and beyond, as well as working to counter misinformation and industry lobbying, strengthening community structures, and more.
‘Some of this work must remain behind the scenes for now – past attempts to undermine the initiative have shown us the risks of being too open,’ organisers said. ‘But rest assured: important groundwork is being laid.’
In the coming months, we expect to hear more about the initiative, particularly on the verification of signatures, and the allowance of these concerns to be presented to the European Commission. For now, we await future updates as progress continues. Per organisers, any new developments will be shared when the time is right.
Also on ScreenHub: Frosty Games Fest is set to return in December 2025
Frosty Games Fest, the dedicated online showcase for games created in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, will officially return in December 2025. As shared on social media, Frosty is once again celebrating ‘the coolest upcoming and recently released games made in Australia and Aotearoa’ with ‘exclusive reveals, announcements, and updates’ on the way.
The creators of the event have called for developer submissions for news aligned to a December timeframe, encouraging those keen to submit their latest works for consideration. The first Frosty Games Fest, which aired around Summer Game Fest in June 2025, was a major success, with a whopping 270,000 people tuning in to see what the region was cooking. This first show featured an array of upcoming titles, including My Arms Are Longer Now, Parasensor, Toroa: Skycall, Malys, Letters to Arralla, Drǎculești, and more.
