It appears that we’ve received unfortunate news from the United Kingdom. According to PCGamer, the local government has turned down a petition titled “Stop Killing Games” for the second time this year, which is part of a citizen initiative. This petition, which had garnered over 13,000 signatures at the time of reporting, aims to prevent publishers from permanently disabling video games they have already sold. In simpler terms, the government has rejected the request to stop game publishers from rendering their own games unusable after they’ve been sold.
The creators of the petition claim that while many video games can continue running indefinitely, certain ones may cease functioning once their publishers choose to do so, without specifying an end date upon initial purchase.
In the following sections, it’s explained that this situation resembles planned obsolescence because, once purchased, customers will no longer have the ability to acquire this particular game, thus preventing them from performing maintenance or repairs.
The writers contend that this behavior is harmful to consumers, however, it could be stopped by modifying current regulations.
Despite acknowledging the issues players have brought up about the performance of items they’ve bought, it appears that there are no immediate plans to amend the current UK consumer law.
As stated by the UK government, software manufacturers aren’t obligated to maintain older versions of their products at the moment. This might lead to instances where the upkeep of servers for older video games is discontinued due to escalating costs and diminishing user numbers.
In a later part of their response, the government suggests that certain games may need to be kept operational even after physical support ceases, such as when users believe the game can still be played to some extent. To clarify, this might mean that the title needs to stay technically sound (for example, it should work offline) and playable in its current form. This is relevant to MultiVersus, a game that will continue to function without the need for an internet connection.
The UK authorities make clear that they will closely watch this matter and ensure it’s factored into the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) work regarding consumer rights and compensation.
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2025-02-06 16:32