Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Peter Jacobsen
“A movement is growing in Europe about consumer protection in the video games industry. A citizen’s petition in the EU recently reached 1 million signatures, meaning that EU regulators will consider the issue. That petition has a simple message: stop killing games. The issue at hand is that game studios have been selling games as ‘licenses’ and then revoking those licenses without warning. While online multiplayer games have always had a problem with server shutdowns due to maintenance costs, developers are now tying even single-player games to online functionality. … The petitioners argue that studios should provide some sort of ‘offramp’ for buyers to enjoy their games individually, even when online support ends. The petition and problems in the industry deal with both single-player and multiplayer games. Are these demands a call for fair consumer protection or deleterious regulations?” (07/16/25)