The citizen initiative calls for legislation that would prohibit publishers from making games completely unplayable after their stop. With one million signatures, the European Commission should look at the initiative.
Currently, many games include an online component, which allows you to play with other players. For many, this online component is even essential, which leads to a certain frustration when the editor decides to cut the connection. For games that do not meet sales goals, it sometimes happens after only a year. For popular games, it can also be a practice of the publisher to push players to the new versions.
The citizen initiative follows the controversy aroused by the online racing game The Crew. This game has disappeared from all platforms and players from the players after its stop by the publisher Ubisoft. In other words, customers have simply seen their purchase disappear.
Consumer rights
The citizen initiative calls on the European Commission to consider legislation imposing the permanent availability of games, or to motivate its refusal. The petition does not ask publishers to maintain their servers in service Ad Vitam Aeternam, but rather to provide options for the end of life ‘. This is, for example, an option allowing players to manage their own servers or play offline. The reasoning is that if the players buy a game, they must be able to play it even after a few years. In this sense, the initiative is similar to European consumption regulations concerning the right to repair, or to maintain a property purchased.
The petition has collected just over a million signatures in seven countries, but that may not be enough. Indeed, the authenticity of these signatures must still be verified.
https://datanews.levif.be/actualite/une-petition-en-vue-de-voter-une-loi-europeenne-pour-maintenir-danciens-jeux-en-vie/
