Don't shut down those servers: How's the Stop Killing Games campaign going?

What happens when an online video game stops being played? In most cases, it simply disappears. And with it goes the opportunity, for millions of players, to relive an interactive experience that often defined an era. Against this "digital death," the Stop Killing Games movement has risen up, a grassroots initiative demanding that video games no longer be completely erased once their commercial life has ended.

The movement was launched a year ago by Ross Scott, YouTuber and creator of the popular format "Freeman's Mind." The occasion was the permanent closure of The Crew, an online racing simulator released in 2014 by Ubisoft, which had amassed a player base of approximately 12 million. When Ubisoft decided to shut down its servers in 2024, the game became completely unplayable, even in single-player mode. For many, it was the final straw.

The Stop Killing Games campaign proposes a solution that sounds like common sense: ensuring access to video games even after commercial support ends. How? In three ways: offering offline modes, allowing the use of private servers, or releasing the core code to the public, allowing fans to keep them alive on their own.

The appeal has received widespread support. Scott's online petition has surpassed one million signatures. The goal now is to raise the issue at the institutional level, with the European Commission, with the aim of obtaining legislation that obliges publishers to consider game preservation a cultural, as well as a commercial, duty.

But the problem, as is often the case, is economic. Keeping servers running costs money. And the gaming industry, though constantly expanding globally, is going through a difficult period, marked by layoffs, mergers, and increasing pressure on margins.