European Commission Rejects Stop Killing Games Initiative Citing IP and Proportionality Concerns

The Commission examined the European Citizens’ Initiative after its February submission and April Parliament hearing. Its formal communication stated that imposing server or offline continuity obligations would conflict with intellectual property protections and impose disproportionate costs on publishers. Existing consumer directives on transparency and contract terms were deemed sufficient without new binding rules. A non-mandatory code of conduct is now scheduled for industry consultation by late 2026.

Data from the initiative and parallel French proceedings against Ubisoft over The Crew demonstrate that server shutdowns render paid products permanently inaccessible. Commission documents explicitly reference risks to confidential business information and post-support cybersecurity exposure as justification for avoiding legislation. This stance aligns with prior EU digital single market assessments that prioritized rights-holder flexibility over perpetual access guarantees.

The rejection channels remaining pressure into the Digital Fairness Act amendment process and member-state actions. Campaign organizers have already signaled intent to bypass the Commission via Parliament. Operationally this preserves publishers’ ability to terminate live-service titles without technical remediation, while increasing disclosure requirements at point of sale. Ongoing national litigation may still produce narrower precedents before any code of conduct takes effect.