In a nutshell: The Stop Killing Games initiative has been campaigning to convince the European Union to determine whether game publishers can legally render online titles permanently unplayable. As publishers push back and the CEO of Ubisoft addresses the issue, the central argument boils down to whether online games are media or services.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently waded into the controversy over the end-of-life deactivation of online games. He highlighted the company's efforts to address the problem while also suggesting that players should never expect perpetual access to such titles. "You provide a service, but nothing is written in stone, and at some point the service may be discontinued. Nothing is eternal," he said.
The CEO made the comments at a recent shareholder meeting, according to Game File (paywalled) via GamesRadar. While discussing how the issue affects the industry at large, Guillemot also focused on the Ubisoft game that pushed YouTuber Ross Scott of Accursed Farms to launch Stop Killing Games – The Crew.
Ubisoft deactivated the online-only game's servers last year, making it unplayable for over 12 million paying customers. Some of them subsequently sued the company.
Guillemot pointed out how Ubisoft temporarily discounted The Crew 2 to $1 before decommissioning its predecessor to migrate customers. Furthermore, the company pledged to implement offline modes for The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest when they reach end-of-life.
However, the CEO's wording suggests that Ubisoft views purchases as entrance fees for services that do not confer ownership over a product. That key argument is what Scott says the European Parliament will decide on if it considers the petition from Stop Destroying Games, the continent's counterpart to Stop Killing Games.
Guillemot's comments implied that The Crew 2 is a suitable replacement for The Crew, comparing the games to software that is continually updated and eventually enters obsolescence. "A lot of tools become obsolete 10 or 15 years down the line," he said. "They're no longer available. And that is why we release a new version."
This viewpoint is generally accepted regarding free-to-play or subscription-based games such as Counter-Strike 2 or Final Fantasy XIV. However, in the eyes of many consumers, the fact that playing The Crew required a one-time purchase at full retail price attracts comparisons to traditional offline media.
In response to Guillemot, Scott reiterated that Stop Killing Games and its European partner are not asking publishers to maintain their servers perpetually. Instead, they believe titles should remain playable after official support ends, ideally through either offline modes or private servers, which have kept some online games playable for decades.
A handful of European politicians have already voiced support for the petition, which now exceeds 1.4 million signatures. Most notably, European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță added his signature and stated his belief that games, once sold, belong to the buyer.
The deadline for the European petition ends on July 31.