The final count of Stop Killing Games’ verified signatures is in, and it proves that gamers can really come together when needed

Stop Killing Games, a European citizens’ initiative that has now successfully triggered a binding vote to protect gamers’ consumer rights by the European Commission, has finally had all of its signatures tallied and verified. With over 1,2 million valid total signatures, the petition proves that gamers truly can rally behind a good cause when it’s needed.

As confirmed by Moritz Katzner, one of the key individuals behind the initiative, the signatures have now been validated, and the initiative has passed muster. The final count of valid signatures is 1,294,188, which is about ~90 percent of the total count pre-validation, and almost 300,000 above the requisite goal.

This final count proves two things: one, that Stop Killing Games and its cause were perceived as righteous enough to attract nearly 1.3 million EU citizens; and two, that Ross Scott and his crew coordinated such a massive movement so successfully that it became one of the EU’s most successful citizen initiatives of all time.

It’s a testament to how the gaming community can band together and fight for their own rights, calling out megacorporations and AAA powerhouses for their anti-consumer practices. To think this started with Ubisoft’s random move to shut down The Crew (aside from shutting down dozens of other games alongside EA and other publishers) is sort of incredible.

So many games get axed every month basically that it’s become the norm, but something struck a nerve with people in the case of The Crew, and I’m more than glad that it did.

Stop Killing Games’ leadership now has meetings with the EU Commission to attend, as said in the announcement above, though that does not guarantee the initiative’s success. A long war is now ahead, with the first major step finally behind us.

If it does emerge victorious in the end, gamers in the EU (and perhaps the world) stand to regain those rights that they once held during the golden age of physical media, where no unseen hand can flip the switch on your game or service, rendering it unplayable for all eternity.

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