Stop Destroying Videogames

Morbad

Morbad
I've had the link to the actual petition in my signature for a few days...

eci.ec.europa.eu

European Citizens' Initiative

Give your support !
eci.ec.europa.eu eci.ec.europa.eu
or

Initiative detail | European Citizens' Initiative

citizens-initiative.europa.eu citizens-initiative.europa.eu

This initiative calls to require publishers that sell or license videogames to consumers in the European Union (or related features and assets sold for videogames they operate) to leave said videogames in a functional (playable) state.
Specifically, the initiative seeks to prevent the remote disabling of videogames by the publishers, before providing reasonable means to continue functioning of said videogames without the involvement from the side of the publisher.
The initiative does not seek to acquire ownership of said videogames, associated intellectual rights or monetization rights, neither does it expect the publisher to provide resources for the said videogame once they discontinue it while leaving it in a reasonably functional (playable) state.
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Of course I can't sign it myself, not being a citizen of the EU, but any legislation passed in the EU would make it much more difficult for publishers to market their games as products, rather than time limited services, anywhere. It would also cause many of them to adjust their policies of planned obsolescence.
 

Dougie

Dougie
This issue really bugs me - these games dependant upon servers. For example the "Sailaway II" game is being deprecated from August with the servers being taken offline on the 31st - with the caveat that if enough (how many???) people are still using it that might be extended into 2026. Yes we can have a discount on the cost of the new version* but that is hardly the point - we paid for something and suddenly the rug is pulled-out and it is no longer functional.

So, to me, if a game is server-dependant then it should be updated / modified to be able to be run without that server before support is removed. We paid good money, how can it be right that they can just pull the plug?

* Which is actually really good - but that isn't the point.
 
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Mole HD

Mole HD
Looking at this from a business viewpoint rather than as a gamer...continuing to throw funds into supporting titles with no new, or at least a continuing source of revenue isn't a realistic or sensible practise.... 🤷‍♂️
 

T.J.Kirk

T.J.Kirk
New update!!!

I've posted two videos in Italian, but with subtitles, you'll have no problem understanding them.

The first is a short, while the second is a video from a video game review channel.

In short: "Ubisoft has updated its EULA (End User License Agreement) for Europe, adding some clauses. These clauses are already included by other publishers, mind you, but the timing is suspicious...

Ubisoft wants us to DESTROY our games."

In simple terms, after the success of the players' petition in Europe, Ubisoft changed the clauses, forcing players to uninstall and destroy their video games.

Shorts:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rupYMkm-Sy4


Video:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ElFaOOs0c
 

Dougie

Dougie
Mole HD said:
Looking at this from a business viewpoint rather than as a gamer...continuing to throw funds into supporting titles with no new, or at least a continuing source of revenue isn't a realistic or sensible practise.... 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...

They shouldn't sell games without an offline option then - or at least provide an offline option at the end of server support. No, I'm sorry, I refuse to feel sympathy for people that charge me £40 for a game and then chop it off after a few years. I dread to think how many hundreds of pounds I will have thrown away if MSFS2024 doesn't produce an offline option when it winds down support in the future.
 

Morbad

Morbad
Mole HD said:
Looking at this from a business viewpoint rather than as a gamer...continuing to throw funds into supporting titles with no new, or at least a continuing source of revenue isn't a realistic or sensible practise.... 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...

That's why policy changes are needed...to protect consumers from predatory practices that would otherwise be a given in the pursuit of maximizing profits and to provide a level playing field for competitors.

MO, games should be clearly and explicitly labeled as time-limited services if they are not stand-alone products. If they are allowed to be marketed as stand-alone products, then they shouldn't require any continued support to function and should feature perpetual, fully-transferable licenses. Ideally, any service would also be something intrinsic to the functionality of the game itself, rather than a flimsy excuse for IP trolls to sell the same or rehashed titles to the same people multiple times.
 

Manfred Belheim

M
T.J.Kirk said:
New update!!!

I've posted two videos in Italian, but with subtitles, you'll have no problem understanding them.

The first is a short, while the second is a video from a video game review channel.

In short: "Ubisoft has updated its EULA (End User License Agreement) for Europe, adding some clauses. These clauses are already included by other publishers, mind you, but the timing is suspicious...

Ubisoft wants us to DESTROY our games."

In simple terms, after the success of the players' petition in Europe, Ubisoft changed the clauses, forcing players to uninstall and destroy their video games.

Shorts:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rupYMkm-Sy4


Video:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ElFaOOs0c
Click to expand...
Can't you just post what the new clauses are instead of videos (or as well as)?
 

Navigare Necesse Est

Navigare Necesse Est
Morbad said:
Current state of things, for those more comfortable with English than Italian:
....
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So this is where I am quite conflicted. On one hand I am much more comfortable with the English language - but serve me one more these mashed peas and I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse. In other words: Italian cuisine should be the language universally spoken for palate.
 

Mole HD

Mole HD
Navigare Necesse Est said:
So this is where I am quite conflicted. On one hand I am much more comfortable with the English language - but serve me one more these mashed peas and I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse. In other words: Italian cuisine should be the language universally spoken for palate.
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Italian villages always have the best street cafés, especially serving coffee with complimentary biscotti :coffee: Closely followed by the French street cafés...definitely no mushy peas served in either of those countries :)
 

Navigare Necesse Est

Navigare Necesse Est
Mole HD said:
Italian villages always have the best street cafés, especially serving coffee with complimentary biscotti :coffee: Closely followed by the French street cafés...definitely no mushy peas served in either of those countries :)
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whoa, we have a conoisseur at our hands here. But it's true. And did you notice how it all tastes better locally? Even when you take it home. I think it's the climate.
 

Mole HD

Mole HD
Navigare Necesse Est said:
whoa, we have a conoisseur at our hands here. But it's true. And did you notice how it all tastes better locally? Even when you take it home. I think it's the climate.
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Best example of that would be the honeyed locusts I tried from a street seller in Kenya...they were flash fried in oil in an old bashed tin pan at the side of the road then covered in wild bee honey and fixed onto a stick like a kebab...believe me, they were awesome. Sweet and crispy. Haven't ever seen them offered up anywhere else in the world...with or without mushy peas :D
 
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