Video Games Europe doubles down on stance against Stop Killing Games

Video Games Europe has released a five-page document doubling down on its stance against the Stop Killing Games initiative, expanding on a previous statement they released days prior.

Stop Killing Games is a consumer-focused movement that aims to prevent online games from becoming permanently unplayable after official support from developers has ended.

First introduced by YouTuber Accursed Farms in April 2024, the movement has since surpassed the signature threshold for its European Citizens’ Initiative petition, meaning that laws could be implemented to protect online games from getting put out to pasture.

However, Video Games Europe, a trade association based in Brussels that represents the European video game industry, has made their stance clear: they are not excited about Stop Killing Games.

Video Games Europe continues to oppose Stop 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 liable,” arguing that the proposals laid out by Stop Killing Games would “curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create.”

On July 10, VGE expanded on this argument, releasing a five-page PDF breaking down their reasons for being against the movement.

Most notably, the document argued that players purchase a license to access online games — not the game as a product, itself. 

“The consumer does not acquire ownership of that video game. These clear intellectual property rights underpin the entire market and enable the strong investment that the industry has seen for decades. There is no legal uncertainty about the status quo of video games,” the statement reads.

VGE went on to explain that allowing for private servers would put players at risk due to lack of moderation control, as well as potentially damaging IPs. They also reiterated that doing so could impact the industry in a negative way by discouraging risk-taking.

“Requirements to implement such plans could lead to less risk taking, fewer investment projects in developing new games, and potentially fewer jobs. Ultimately, it could lead to increased costs for consumers and less choice,” they wrote.

The organization also outlined the terms of consumer protection laws in the EU, noting that companies are required to give a “reasonable prior notice before any termination of access rights” to a game they purchased. EU legislation also demands that online services for games must “be provided for a reasonable amount of time, taking into account all relevant factors. It would be disproportionate for a specific duration to be imposed as this would need to be valid of all types of services, not just games.”

Despite their arguments against the Stop Killing Games initiative, the VGE ended their paper with a 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 “under circumstances that do not jeopardize game companies’ rights under copyright law.”

As seen with its previous statement, this latest letter has not gone over well with the broader gaming community. Thousands of players have taken to social media to object to the VGE’s arguments, with one writing on X: “They are talking as if private servers never existed for any game ever. Dude, WoW has private servers with thousands of players. And the story that they would care about the safety of players on servers they wouldn’t even manage is embarrassing.”

“None of these are a problem for players and customers whatsoever,” another wrote. “If businesses want to prevent 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 1.3M signatures — although Accursed Farms noted that a reasonable chunk of these may have been spoofed by petitioners outside the EU, encouraging people to keep signing despite reaching their goal.