4 ms·

This has been happening with Video Games for a while. There is a major initiative called "Stop Killing Games" which was triggered when Ubisoft bricked "The Crew

This has been happening with Video Games for a while. There is a major initiative called "Stop Killing Games" which was triggered when Ubisoft bricked "The Crew" when servers were shutdown. https://www.stopkillinggames.com/ https://www.stopkillinggames.com/ There has been some success. There is new legislation in California which has passed the Assembly. https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/22330/stop-killing-games-movement-gains-momentum-california-assembly-passes-game-protection-bill https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/22330/stop-killing-game... And there is a citizens initiative in Europe which the the European Commission must respond to: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2024/000007_en https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/20...

throwawayk7h 4mo ago
It's good legislation. I would love to see this extended to "Stop Killing Software" in general, with the same provisions.
- Akronymus 4mo ago
  Hopefully SKG can serve as a precedent to help consumer rights expand.
wilg 4mo ago
[flagged]
- DrammBA 4mo ago
  > I think you should be allowed to stop supporting software or shut down your servers. That has nothing to do with Stop Killing Games.
  - rocqua 4mo ago
    At least the servers bit seems very related no? I’d love to know more though.
    - Akronymus 4mo ago
      The movement explicitly DOESNT want to force companies to keep their servers running. It is singularily concerned with keeping games playable in some form after shutdown. Be it via patching out the requirement on a server, providing a way to host it yourself or any other option, really.
- platevoltage 4mo ago
  You should not be able to shut down the ability to play a game if it cost money to buy.
  - ryandrake 4mo ago
    You should at least have to refund customers when you take away the ability to use a product they purchased.
    - wilg 4mo ago
      This is fair for some reasonable time window after purchase. But I think it's okay for things to have a lifespan even if they cost money.
      - ryandrake 4mo ago
        As long as the life span is clearly spelled out when you purchase, so you know that you are actually buying a 10 year subscription, and not a game.
        wilg 4mo ago
        This would be a much preferable law to the one actually proposed.
      - platevoltage 4mo ago
        No. It's not a physical good that is subject to wear and tear. There is no excuse for a single player game to have a lifespan because it has some pointless online verification component.
        wilg 4mo ago
        I think it should be legal to sell something with a pointless online verification component.
  - wilg 4mo ago
- deleted 4mo ago
  [deleted]
- rocqua 4mo ago
  If this removes people’s access to products (software licenses count as products here) someone payed fir once. Then you should only be allowed to do that if you enable people to continue using the product. Releasing the server code should be a requirement. Software updates shouldn’t be required. Unless the product has a moment where it will stop functioning on the hardware it was build for built in (such as an expiring certificate).
somenameforme 4mo ago
This is much worse. The Crew was always framed as an 'always online' game, even if that was technically a farce. This would be more like if Bethesda rolled out an update to cripple Skyrim after releasing a new Elder Scrolls game to lackluster sales.

throwawayk7h 4mo ago

It's good legislation. I would love to see this extended to "Stop Killing Software" in general, with the same provisions.

Akronymus 4mo ago
Hopefully SKG can serve as a precedent to help consumer rights expand.

wilg 4mo ago

[flagged]

DrammBA 4mo ago
> I think you should be allowed to stop supporting software or shut down your servers. That has nothing to do with Stop Killing Games.
- rocqua 4mo ago
  At least the servers bit seems very related no? I’d love to know more though.
  - Akronymus 4mo ago
    The movement explicitly DOESNT want to force companies to keep their servers running. It is singularily concerned with keeping games playable in some form after shutdown. Be it via patching out the requirement on a server, providing a way to host it yourself or any other option, really.
platevoltage 4mo ago
You should not be able to shut down the ability to play a game if it cost money to buy.
- ryandrake 4mo ago
  You should at least have to refund customers when you take away the ability to use a product they purchased.
  - wilg 4mo ago
    This is fair for some reasonable time window after purchase. But I think it's okay for things to have a lifespan even if they cost money.
    - ryandrake 4mo ago
      As long as the life span is clearly spelled out when you purchase, so you know that you are actually buying a 10 year subscription, and not a game.
      - wilg 4mo ago
        This would be a much preferable law to the one actually proposed.
    - platevoltage 4mo ago
      No. It's not a physical good that is subject to wear and tear. There is no excuse for a single player game to have a lifespan because it has some pointless online verification component.
      - wilg 4mo ago
        I think it should be legal to sell something with a pointless online verification component.
- wilg 4mo ago
deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]
rocqua 4mo ago
If this removes people’s access to products (software licenses count as products here) someone payed fir once. Then you should only be allowed to do that if you enable people to continue using the product. Releasing the server code should be a requirement. Software updates shouldn’t be required. Unless the product has a moment where it will stop functioning on the hardware it was build for built in (such as an expiring certificate).

somenameforme 4mo ago

This is much worse. The Crew was always framed as an 'always online' game, even if that was technically a farce. This would be more like if Bethesda rolled out an update to cripple Skyrim after releasing a new Elder Scrolls game to lackluster sales.