Video game players are increasingly calling on the government to either stop publishers from censoring video games or from killing video games. However, the latest of such campaigns tagged Stop Killing Games met an unpleasant response from the UK government which has said there is no law mandating developers and publishers to keep games playable forever.
“This site is dedicated to real-world action on ending the practice of publishers destroying videogames they have sold to customers,” read the website Stop Killing Games which instituted the petition. The campaign raked in over 20,000 signatures. Petitions that garner 100,000 signatures are considered for parliamentary debate.
ALSO READ: Square Enix Restructuring Will lead To Layoffs In US And Europe
“An increasing number of videogames are sold as goods, but designed to be completely unplayable for everyone as soon as support ends. The legality of this practice is untested worldwide, and many governments do not have clear laws regarding these actions. It is our goal to have authorities examine this behavior and hopefully end it, as it is an assault on both consumer rights and preservation of media.”
In response to the campaign, the UK government said there is no legal requirement in the UK law that compels video game companies to support older products. Below is a statement from the Department of Culture, Media & Sports:
“Consumers should be aware that there is no requirement in UK law compelling software companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems, software, or connected products. There may be occasions where companies make commercial decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older servers for video games that have declining user bases.
“If consumers are led to believe that a game will remain playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support, the [Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008] may require that the game remains technically feasible (for example, available offline) to play under those circumstances.”
In a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz, a representative from the Stop Killing Games group said they will seek the service of a lawyer to investigate the legality of the practice by video game companies in different territories around the world.
