Campaign group Stop Killing Games has passed almost 1.3 million verified signatures for its European Citizens' Initiative and is preparing an official submission to the European Commission next month.

The petition, organised in response to publishers shutting down online-only titles and cutting access for players, has attracted attention since the group's activities began in 2024. The closure of Ubisoft's The Crew and similar shutdowns were cited by the campaign as catalysts for the drive to introduce stronger protections for access to digital games.

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The initiative, which entered its official phase in 2025, previously drew criticism from several major publishers, who argued that the kind of regulation proposed by organisers would be "prohibitively expensive." Despite industry pushback, organisers have exceeded the one million-signature threshold required for European Citizens' Initiatives, meeting the cross-border support criteria that obliges the Commission to consider and respond to the proposal.

On successful submission, the European Commission will examine the initiative and issue a formal response setting out whether it intends to propose new legislation. The initiative's organisers will also secure opportunities to present their case to EU institutions and seek further political support from national authorities.

Further details and coverage of the campaign are available from Eurogamer: Eurogamer report.