Latest news with #StopKillingGames
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What is the Stop Killing Games movement? Viral clash between Accursed Farms and Pirate Software explained
(Image via YouTube/@Accursed_Farms & @PirateSoftware) At the heart of a growing online movement, Stop Killing Games calls out developers for pulling the plug on live-service games too early. Created by YouTuber Ross Scott (Accursed Farms), it quickly gained support until Twitch streamer and indie dev Pirate Software pushed back. What started as a campaign for game preservation has now spiraled into a full-blown creator feud. Here's what's going on. What is Stop Killing Games? Launched in April 2024 by Ross Scott, the Stop Killing Games movement is all about preserving access to online games, especially after official support ends. Ross argues that when studios make a game dependent on servers and later shut them down, they're essentially selling something with an expiration date… without telling players. It's 'planned obsolescence,' he says — unfair to buyers and harmful to gaming history. The movement has gained real-world traction, too, with petitions in Europe aiming to legally require publishers to offer offline versions or alternatives when live-service titles go dark. Stop Killing Games Pirate Software Calls It Out Not everyone agreed with Ross's plan, most notably, Pirate Software (real name Jason Thor Hall). In a widely shared YouTube video, Pirate Software called the movement vague , unrealistic , and even dangerous to game devs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like We Can't Believe She Wore That To The Red Carpet Golfhooked Read More Undo He argued that: The initiative is too broad and lacks clear solutions. It creates legal and technical burdens that most indie studios can't afford. It could hurt the industry by setting unrealistic expectations for all online games. Pirate also criticized Ross's suggestion to use this as a political tool, claiming it misdirects lawmakers from more urgent tech issues. The end of Stop Killing Games Accursed Farms Responds Ross didn't let that slide. He later addressed Pirate's critiques in an interview and a dedicated FAQ video, claiming Pirate had misrepresented the campaign's goals. According to Ross: The initiative isn't about keeping every live-service game alive forever. It's about offering basic access to purchased games, even post-shutdown. Pirate's comments hurt momentum during a crucial phase. 'It's unfortunate. I offered to talk with him about it.' Ross said. 'If you hate the initiative, you hate it, but at least hate it for what it is.' Signature Struggles & Blame Game As the deadline for the European Citizens' Initiative approached, only 47% of the required signatures had been collected. Ross claimed that Pirate Software's viral criticism stalled the campaign's momentum. He even uploaded a video on June 23, 2025, accusing Hall of 'lying' and making it harder for the petition to succeed. He said that: 'This put me in a no-win scenario, too, because if I ignored it, then a lot of people would get misinformed about the campaign, and if I did a response video, it would look like drama-farming.' Stop Killing Games... Who Supports the Movement? Despite the clash, Stop Killing Games still has powerful supporters. Big-name creators like MoistCritikal and SomeOrdinaryGamers have publicly backed Ross. Their argument? Preserving games isn't just nostalgic — it's about protecting a digital legacy. As SomeOrdinaryGamers put it: 'If we don't fight for this now, our gaming history might just vanish.' Whether you're Team Ross or Team Pirate, one thing's clear — this debate hits deeper than just two creators. It's about what we, as players, own when we buy a game… and what happens when that access disappears. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ubisoft says you "cannot complain" it shut down The Crew because you never actually owned it, and you weren't "deceived" by the lack of an offline version "to access a decade-old, discontinued video game"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Ubisoft's lawyers have responded to a class action lawsuit over the shutdown of The Crew, arguing that it was always clear that you didn't own the game and calling for a dismissal of the case outright. The class action was filed in November 2024, and Ubisoft's response came in February 2025, though it's only come to the public's attention now courtesy of Polygon. The full response from Ubisoft attorney Steven A. Marenberg picks apart the claims of plaintiffs Matthew Cassell and Alan Liu piece by piece, but the most common refrain is that The Crew's box made clear both that the game required an internet connection and that Ubisoft retained the right to revoke access "to one or more specific online features" with a 30-day notice at its own discretion. "After making their purchases, Plaintiffs enjoyed access to The Crew for years before Ubisoft decided in late 2023 to retire shut down the servers of the ten-year-old video game," Marenberg argues. "Plaintiffs received the benefit of their bargain and cannot complain now that they were deceived simply because Ubisoft did not then create an offline version of the discontinued video game." Polygon's report notes that the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on March 18, which argued that an activation code included with the retail version of the game that doesn't expire until 2099 implied that the whole package would remain playable until that date. It also argues that The Crew's currency could be considered a sale of a gift certificate, which are not allowed to expire under California law, where the suit was filed. Which side of the argument has merit here will ultimately be decided by a judge, and if Ubisoft has its way, it'll be dismissed before it can actually go to trial. Marenberg concludes that the "plaintiffs' dissatisfaction with being unable to access a decade old, discontinued video game is not sufficient basis upon which to file a putative class action complaint." It's worth explicitly noting that this case is unrelated to the ongoing Stop Killing Games campaign, a broader consumer rights effort inspired by The Crew's shutdown. That group is attempting to create laws that would force publishers to patch otherwise online-only games so that end users could continue playing them after they're no longer being supported, whether through offline modes or support for custom servers. The movement has inspired Ubisoft to add offline modes to The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest, but not the now-dead original that spawned all this kerfuffle in the first place. Publishers are absolutely terrified "preserved video games would be used for recreational purposes," so the US copyright office has struck down a major effort for game preservation.
