Katarzyna Petru
Concord, Cities: Skylines 2 and the takeover of Electronic Arts – these are just a few examples that came up during the heated debate in the British Parliament about the initiative Stop Killing Games. The campaign, supported by thousands of gamers worldwide, reached the government table after nearly 190 thousand people signed the petition on the matter.
The government isn’t changing the law, but sees the problem
The UK government is currently not planning changes to regulations that would protect the "life" of games after they are shut down by publishers. As Stephanie Peacock, the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Youth, pointed out, the state understands the concerns of players, but in practice enforcing such regulations would be exceptionally difficult.
According to Peacock, many games are built on network architectures that cannot easily be converted to offline versions, and introducing a requirement to maintain them "by force" could discourage developers from taking risks. However, the government wants publishers to provide more transparent information about consumer rights and the potential lifespan of a game.
MPs: this could be the beginning of the end for digital ownership
Not all parliamentarians were convinced by these arguments. Henry Tuffnell from the Labour Party pointed out that the failure of Concord – Sony's shooter that lasted less than two weeks – shows that players should know how long a game will be supported. Meanwhile, Tom Gordon from the Liberal Democrats highlighted potential complications in acquiring Electronic Arts, which could split the responsibility for maintaining games among several owners.
The strongest voice came from Mark Sewards, who warned of “the erosion of property rights”: “If we do not take action right now, this model could spill over into other industries. It’s better to act early than to fight against an entrenched scheme later.”
Government Guidelines Instead of Law
Although new regulations are not planned, the government is considering having the Chartered Trading Standards Institute prepare official guidelines for the industry. These would require publishers to provide buyers with full information about their rights – including any potential restrictions on access to the game after it has been “closed”.
The debate has shown that while the government is cautious, pressure from the gaming community is increasing. And this is just the beginning – as the European Parliament has yet to hold its own debate on Stop Killing Games. If Europe goes further than the UK, the issue may return with even greater force.
