What Is Going on with Pirate Software and Stop Killing Games?
The world of digital games is witnessing a public main stage rift and dilemma between two very powerful personalities on either side of this ideological battle: Ross Scott and Thor of Pirate Software, a game developer and Twitch streamer known for his caustic persona.
What began as a relatively tight campaign focused on consumer rights within the digital games industry began to get shoved into an uncomfortable philosophical spat about what game preservation is and who has the right to call themselves a game preserver.
The Purpose Underlying
Stop Killing Games
The Stop Killing Games campaign grew from a growing awareness, prompted by popular YouTuber Ross Scott's initiative of the same name, that so many digital games disappear forever when their servers go offline.
Sparked in part by Ubisoft's notorious takedown of The Crew in December 2023, a title that included single-player content but still necessitated an online connection, SKG maintains that consumers are being sold games with undisclosed use-by dates.
Scott likens the practice to 'planned obsolescence' and considers it doubly unethical and historically harmful. His campaign is now seeking legal support through a European Citizens' Initiative, lobbying for legislation that would force publishers to ensure games are left in a playable condition, even after online services are abandoned.
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They might just stop killing games..
Pirate Software Takes a Stand
Not everyone is on board with Scott's radical tack. Thor from Pirate Software, famous for his no-bullshit attitude and indie developer roots, has been one of the most vocal critics of the SKG movement since it went public in August 2024. In his opinion, SKG's proposals go too wide and are unrealistic, possibly violating developers' self-determination and misinterpreting the realities of game development.
In an official YouTube response video published June 23, 2025, Scott fired back at Pirate Software's criticism, calling Thor an agent of misinformation, especially on the point about SKG turning their online multiplayer games into offline single-player ports.
Doubling Down, Drawing Lines
In the face of this uproar, it appears Thor didn't retract his comments. On June 26th, 2025, Pirate Software released a sequel going further criticizing SKG's campaign and doubling down on this criticism, Ministry defending his position that SKG's campaign is misrepresentative and would likely produce negative impacts on smaller developers who don't have the resources to keep server infrastructure running forever.
The conflict reveals a larger rift. Though SKG supports consumer rights and long-term game preservation, the tasks dump a lot of new responsibility on creators, a detail critics like Thor are quick to point out. This is mostly in an era now ruled by digital distribution and live-service models.
Stop Killing Games
What's at Stake
At the center of this heated debate lies the delicate question: Should games be preserved like books and films, or are they intrinsically transient? Now that governments are considering imposing some legal duties on publishers, how this debate plays out could almost decide the future of ownership and preservation of games-the world increasingly turning digital. For now, Stop Killing Games and Pirate Software are the two drastically different ideals for the future of gaming, and all gamers around the world are observing!
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
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