Stop Killing Games

Stop Killing Games (SKG), also known as Stop Destroying Videogames (SDVG), is a consumer movement that seeks to preserve video games after they are taken offline. It was started in 2024 by Ross Scott in response to the shutdown of Ubisoft's The Crew, a 2014 racing game that required a constant internet connection despite being mainly single-player. It uses various legal avenues to push for requiring video game publishers to keep games playable and in a reasonably functioning state even after their discontinuation, challenging the industry trend of selling games as a revocable license or service that can at any moment be rendered obsolete by the publisher. Stop Killing Games quickly garnered popularity, being covered by various YouTubers and news outlets. It was praised by various celebrities, politicians and game developers for tackling a long-lasting problem in the video game industry, though some were sceptical, citing issues with licensed and proprietary content as well as increased development costs due to preservation efforts. Stop Killing Games has launched multiple government petitions, of which the most prominent is a European Citizens' Initiative named Stop Destroying Videogames, which received around 1.3 million valid signatures. Additionally, a UK Parliament petition managed to amass enough votes for an official debate, though it was ultimately decided that no amendments to existing law would be made.