TheStop Killing Gamesmovement has just gained a major ally in the form of European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Stefanuta. Originally started by YouTuber Ross Scott in 2024 over the delisting ofThe Crew, the Stop Killing Games movement has been building support with the goal of preventing online multiplayer titles from being shut down - which prevents fans from being able to play them in any way.
Stop Killing Games has also caught the attention of video game companies and the people who used to work for them. Publisher group Video Games Europe recentlyspoke out against the Stop Killing Games movement, arguing that shutting down failed multiplayer titles is necessary to save money and protect user data from being hacked. Likewise, former Blizzard Entertainment developer Jason “Thor” Hall and Pirate Software have publicly opposed Stop Killing Games since its inception, believing that preserving every multiplayer title is unfeasible and that requiring it would discourage developers from making such games in the first place.
Regardless, Stop Killing Games is still building support among consumers big and small, with one major name now joining the growing list. Nicolae Stefanuta, the Vice President of the European Parliament, recently took to Instagram to express hissupport for the Stop Killing Games movement, even signing the recent European petition himself. “I stand with the people who started this citizen initiative,” his Instagram post reads. “I signed and will continue to help them. A game, once sold, belongs to the customer, not the company.” The official Stop Killing Games Bluesky account then shared a screenshot of Stefanuta’s message.
European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Stefanuta Supports Stop Killing Games
The petition that Nicolae Stefanuta signed has officially amassed over 1,350,000 signatures, well over its 1 million target. Thewebpage for the Stop Killing Games initiativeis letting curious gamers track the petition’s signatures as they increase across the European Union, and smaller petitions have been cropping up in countries like Germany, France, and Australia.
Only time will tell if theStop Killing Games movement and its growing grassroots supportwill lead to any change in the gaming industry, but the fact that world leaders are now voicing their solidarity with the initiative shows how much its message is resonating with the public. The issue of how long companies should continue to support online multiplayer titles and if they should remain active forever is one that many have an opinion about, with plenty speaking out for and against Stop Killing Games as a result.
