What started as a struggling petition just hit a major milestone, and it might be harder for publishers to ignore this time.

The Stop Killing Games campaign has officially passed 1.4 million signatures via the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), bringing it closer to triggering a formal response from the European Commission. If at least one million of these signatures are validated and meet country distribution requirements, the Commission will be required to respond publicly.

The announcement was made on 21 July by the official Stop Killing Games X account:

“1 million to 1.4 million in 17 days! Incredible! Push for 1.5–1.6 million to have politicians pay more attention to #StopKillingGames and build our buffer!: Come on gamers, gamer allies and family of gamers! Let's fight against ‘own nothing and be happy’!”

Ross Scott, the YouTuber behind the campaign and creator of Freeman’s Mind, also posted on his personal X account, Accursed Farms:

“I think the only scenario it won't will be if we had botnet spoofing on a large scale earlier, so more people signing still helps,” he reminded everyone in his post.

Launched by Ross Scott in April 2024 after Ubisoft shut down The Crew, the initiative calls for laws that would guarantee players continued access to games, even after official support has ended.

Volunteer efforts spark EU complaint over campaign transparency

While the Stop Killing Games campaign continues to gather support, it’s now facing a formal complaint filed with the EU accusing it of “systematic concealment” of financial contributions. According to a report by GamesRadar, the complaint claims that campaign founder Ross Scott’s extensive unpaid work, reportedly 12 to 14 hours a day, should be treated as a financial contribution under European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) rules. Based on a "market rate" of €50–75/hour, the complaint estimates Scott has effectively contributed between €63,000 and €147,000, which is well above the €500 declaration threshold.

Scott addressed the claims in a video, stating the accusation misrepresents EU regulations. “Individuals providing non-financial support, such as volunteering, are not considered sponsors under the ECI Regulation and do not need to be reported,” he explained. As a US citizen, Scott isn’t eligible to officially organise the petition, but said EU representatives approved his involvement earlier this year. “We’ve been doing this by the book, guys,” he said in the video:

Scott suspects the complaint originated from within the games industry, viewing it as an attempt to undermine the campaign’s growing momentum.

Support grows as validation phase approaches

Originally launched in response to Ubisoft’s shutdown of The Crew without offering an offline alternative, the Stop Killing Games initiative urges lawmakers to require publishers to provide an “end-of-life” patch or modification. This would ensure that games remain accessible even after servers go offline, without demanding perpetual support from developers.

Just weeks ago, the campaign appeared to be falling short, with under 500,000 signatures and low momentum in key EU countries. However, after receiving wider attention—including through social media campaigns and community engagement—the petition surged beyond its target, building a 400,000-signature buffer to safeguard against invalid or incomplete entries.

The surge has even caught the attention of policymakers. Nicolae Ștefănuță, one of the vice presidents of the European Parliament, has publicly expressed support for the campaign by signing the petition himself:

Once the validation process is complete and the criteria are met—1 million valid signatures across at least seven EU countries—the European Commission will have six months to issue an official reply. While this doesn’t guarantee legislative changes, the Commission must outline what actions it intends to take, if any, along with justifications and a proposed timeline.

The Stop Killing Games movement has gone from a struggling petition to a powerful push for consumer rights in digital media—and it now sits squarely in the EU’s hands.