EU declines Stop Killing Games legal mandate, sets industry talks by end of 2026

The European Commission said on June 16, 2026 that it cannot currently propose a legal obligation requiring publishers to keep video games playable after they stop providing commercial support. The response addresses the European Citizens' Initiative formally titled Stop Destroying Videogames.

The player-facing outcome is clear: there is no new EU-wide mandate for offline patches, private server tools, or other continuity measures at this stage. Instead, the Commission says it will engage with consumers and publishers by the end of 2026 to explore better industry standards for game end-of-life handling.

The Commission cited intellectual property rights and existing EU consumer law. Its statement says games are protected by copyright and other IP rights, while current digital-content rules already require information about contract duration and termination conditions and may provide remedies, including proportionate refunds, when content does not match the contract or reasonable consumer expectations.

Dexerto reports that the initiative had 1,294,188 verified statements of support, enough to force formal examination by the Commission. The r/gamedev thread split between support for preservation goals and skepticism that the proposal was specific enough for law. Several developers focused on implementation cost, IP rights, and whether the campaign had answered practical edge cases. Original response: European Commission.