The EU will not require publishers to maintain the playability of games, but the battle against game abandonment is far from finished.

      The Commission has turned down the proposal, but the Digital Fairness Act might provide a way forward.

      The European Commission has addressed the Stop Killing Games campaign with a decision that will likely let down many of its supporters. The regulator stated it cannot mandate that publishers keep video games playable after they are pulled from sale but intends to collaborate with industry groups and consumer organizations to create a voluntary code of conduct for managing a game's end-of-life phase.

      This decision comes after several months of pressure from consumer advocates and game preservationists, who argue that publishers should not be allowed to make games unusable after support ceases.

      According to the Commission, current copyright and intellectual property laws prevent it from enforcing a legal requirement for publishers to keep discontinued games playable.

      Instead, the regulator will concentrate on informing consumers of their existing rights and promoting stronger enforcement of those protections. The Commission indicated that this effort could encourage publishers to provide longer support periods and more transparent plans for retiring online games.

      Stop Killing Games was initiated by YouTuber Ross Scott in 2024 after Ubisoft shut down The Crew, which rendered the online racing game completely unplayable for customers who had purchased it.

      The campaign does not demand that publishers maintain servers forever. Rather, it seeks to ensure games remain playable when official support ends, whether through offline modes, private servers, or other options that allow consumers to continue utilizing what they have paid for.

      The movement garnered sufficient support through the European Citizens’ Initiative process to elicit a formal response from the European Commission.

      Ross Scott expressed that while the Commission’s response was anticipated, it still raises significant questions regarding the responsibilities of publishers when they discontinue games purchased by consumers.

      He noted that the campaign's next opportunity might arise from the EU’s forthcoming Digital Fairness Act, which could pave the way for enhanced consumer protections related to digital ownership. Scott also highlighted that the initiative continues to enjoy support within the European Parliament, with similar efforts to address game shutdowns gaining momentum in the United States.

      Despite the challenges posed by the European Commission, Scott insists that the campaign is far from finished. Supporters are now directing their efforts toward future opportunities to advocate for stronger protections for digital purchases.

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      Two of Call of Duty’s most iconic games are finally headed to modern PlayStations.

      For the first time, Black Ops 1 and 2 will soon be available on contemporary PlayStation systems.

      Some of the most cherished titles in the Call of Duty franchise are set to arrive on modern PlayStation hardware in July. Treyarch has officially announced that the original Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are being ported by Iron Galaxy, making these classic shooters accessible to a new generation of PlayStation players. While Treyarch hasn’t explicitly confirmed the target platforms, various reports and backend findings indicate that the games are being prepared as native PlayStation 4 releases, which will also be playable on PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility.

      Epic Games has made significant strides toward AI-developed games with Unreal Engine 5.8.

      Unreal Engine 5.8 has been launched, marking the final major release planned for the UE5 series. This update includes an experimental plugin that enables large language model (LLM) support directly within the engine, along with a suite of new tools for worldbuilding, rendering, animation, and virtual production.

      Roblox has introduced age-based accounts for children, featuring enhanced parental controls.

      Roblox has globally launched Roblox Kids and Roblox Select accounts, following a limited pilot last month in Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. These account types are specifically designed for users under the age of 16, aiming to ensure that child safety measures evolve as the child grows rather than remaining unchanged.