At the request of PiS MEP Piotr Müller, the coordinators of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) decided to organize a special expert panel on the ownership of fully or partially digital products, which will address the issue raised by the European Citizens’ Initiative “Stop Killing Games.”
“This is a very important decision by the coordinators and a response to the voices of many citizens. The initiative has already gathered over a million signatures. We want to protect consumers and take the concerns coming from across Europe seriously,” emphasizes MEP Piotr Müller.
The initiative, supported by over 1.4 million European Union citizens, draws attention to the problem of consumers being denied access to video games they have legally purchased. One example is the permanent shutdown of online games after servers are taken offline—even when the community would like to support their continued operation on its own.
"A player who has legally purchased a game should not lose it simply because the company has shut down its servers. The economic rationale is understandable, but why prevent grassroots initiatives, especially when the publisher has lost interest in the product? This is not a trivial matter, but a question of trust in the entire digital market,” Müller points out.
The initiative also highlights the importance of protecting video games as part of Europe’s cultural and digital heritage. Permanently shutting them down leads to the irreversible loss of a significant part of this legacy.
As part of the IMCO Committee’s work, a special workshop with experts will be held to examine the issue in detail and seek solutions. Representatives of the “Stop Killing Games” initiative will be invited to the meeting.
"From a very young age, I have been interested in digital solutions and new technologies, and video games were one of the first areas where I came into contact with them. That is why I understand this issue well. However, I know that many Members of the European Parliament are unfamiliar with this community. Therefore, the workshop will help not only to develop a solution to the problem but also to raise awareness within the European Parliament,” Müller emphasizes.
In addition to the workshop, the IMCO Committee will commission a report on this matter. The document is intended to cover the broad context of the digital market’s development, including issues related to artificial intelligence and robotics, but it will also include a section on the problem of game blackouts. The analysis will serve as the basis for further legislative work and discussion.
“Having familiarized myself with the issue, I can clearly see that a political initiative and support are needed to meaningfully address this problem. I intend to use the tools available in Parliament to find a solution to this problem,” Müller concludes.
