The "Stop Killing Games" movement, sparked by Ubisoft's shutdown of "The Crew" servers, continues to advocate for service-based game preservation and consumer rights. However, legal experts believe the initiative is unlikely to achieve its core objectives.
Speaking recently with The Game Business, Dr. Ceila Pontin, a video game policy expert and Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Flux Digital Policy, stated that the movement faces not only technical hurdles but also limitations imposed by current laws and industry structures.
"Are consumer rights being violated? Well, they already exist to be violated," Pontin remarked. She pointed out that terms of service already establish the fundamental framework governing online game shutdowns for both publishers and players, making it challenging for advocates to secure additional protections.
Pontin acknowledged players' passion and their desire to continue playing games they have invested significant time and emotion in, but she highlighted a "mismatch" between public expectation and legal feasibility. She described video games as a "cloud miasma" woven from numerous copyrighted fragments—including concepts, art, and voice acting. Therefore, demanding that developers hand over games for fans to maintain is not a legally straightforward solution.
The "Stop Killing Games" movement asserts that "if you buy a product, it shouldn't self-destruct," but Pontin argues that other regulatory fields do not operate under this principle. She noted that while some ideal solutions proposed by players might seem reasonable, they may not ultimately be feasible.
via： The Game Business