UK petition to ‘stop killing games’ nears 190,000 signatures as it enters into last day
A petition to update UK consumer laws to prohibit game publishers from taking games offline and making them unplayable has reached nearly 190,000 signatures.
The petition, which ends at midnight on 14 July, calls on the government to update consumer laws to prohibit publishers from disabling video games (and related game assets/features) they have already sold without recourse for customers to retain or repair them.
“Most video games sold can work indefinitely, but some have design elements that render the product non-functional at a time that the publisher controls, with no date provided at sale,” the petition states.
“We see this as a form of planned obsolescence, as customers can be deprived of their purchase and cannot retain or repair the game. We think this practice is hostile to consumers, entirely preventable, and we have concerns that existing laws do not address the problem. Thus, we believe government intervention is needed.”
Parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for a debate, but the government has already indicated that it has no immediate plans to change the law.
“The Government recognises concerns raised by video game users regarding the operability of purchased products,” it said in a response on 3 February.
“As the lead department for video games, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) regularly engages industry representatives and monitors how consumers interact with games. We work with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) as the lead department for consumer protection more generally.”
It added that it is aware of issues relating to the life span of digital content, including video games, and appreciates the concerns of players of some games that have been discontinued.
“We have no plans to amend existing consumer law on digital obsolescence, but we will monitor this issue and consider the relevant work of the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) on consumer rights and consumer detriment,” it said.
