The European Commission will work with consumers and publishers in late 2026 to explore ways of improving industry standards, in response to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) ‘Stop Destroying Videogames’.
Modern video games often rely on publishers’ servers to function. Publishers may cease to support these servers, rendering the games partially or completely unplayable. The ECI therefore called on the Commission to propose legislation to ensure that players can continue to play video games after publishers have ceased to provide commercial support for them.
The Commission considers that, at this stage, it cannot propose a legal obligation to maintain the playability of video games once they are no longer commercially available. This is also due to existing intellectual property rights. Under EU copyright law, rights holders enjoy exclusive rights over their creations. In addition to copyright, other intellectual property rights may also be relevant, as they may protect various visual and technological aspects of a video game.
Existing EU consumer protection legislation already provides for significant safeguards that protect consumers’ economic interests. Video game providers must inform consumers about the duration of the contract and the conditions for terminating it before consumers sign up for the video game. The Directive on Digital Content and Services provides consumers with remedies where the content or services provided do not comply with the contract and with what consumers could reasonably expect. Consumers may be entitled to a pro-rata refund for their purchases.
However, to address the concerns of industry stakeholders, the Commission has committed to taking several measures.
Firstly, it will launch a dialogue with the video game industry and consumer representatives with the aim of drawing up an industry code of conduct on the ‘end-of-life’ management of video games.
Secondly, the Commission will work with consumer organisations and the authorities to raise awareness of the applicable rights that protect consumers, including safeguards that protect consumers’ economic interests. The Commission will report on the implementation of the Directive on Digital Content and Services before the end of the year. The active enforcement of these existing consumer rights may also encourage providers to offer video games with a longer lifespan and to explore solutions to meet consumer expectations.
This is the fourteenth initiative to receive a formal response from the Commission since the launch of the ECI in 2012.
More information: European Commission
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