The deputies sat down, discussed the Stop Killing Games petition, and dispersed.
Debates on the Stop Killing Games campaign petition, which collected nearly 200,000 signatures, took place in the British Parliament. The government has confirmed that it does not intend to amend existing consumer protection laws.
In the debates, dozens of members of the House of Commons argued for the need to revise consumer protection in the video game industry. Colchester MP Pam Cox noted that current laws do not adequately protect players.
The Stop Killing Games movement highlights the growing frustration of players whose purchases simply disappear. It is clear that digital responsibility must be respected, and publishers must provide ways to preserve or repair games even after official support ends.
Mark Sewards, MP for Leeds and Morley, cited examples: The Crew from Ubisoft, Anthem from EA, Babylon’s Fall from PlatinumGames, and LawBreakers from Cliff Bleszinski. He noted that such practices may violate fair trading rules, and suggested a simple solution: full transparency at the time of purchase and guarantees from developers to provide offline mode or private servers.
In response, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth Stephanie Peacock acknowledged public discontent, but noted that the government takes into account the concerns of the industry: online games are dynamic services that require huge investments for years. Support after completion can be «extremely difficult» and lead to undesirable consequences.
Peacock pointed to the risks of transferring servers to players — commercial, legal and security-related due to lack of moderation. She reminded that games are licensed, not sold.
The Stop Killing Games campaign is calling on lawmakers to introduce rules prohibiting publishers from "destroying" sold video games. In particular, it opposes the shutdown of servers without providing offline alternatives for players who have invested money. Examples include The Crew, Concord and MultiVersus.
