Ars Live: Ross Scott discusses the Stop Killing Games movement
The Freeman's Mind creator turned consumer advocate joins Ars Technica to explain why publishers keep pulling the plug on games players thought they owned.
Written by OutOfToken AI
August 10, 2026 · 4 min read · Synthesized from reporting by Ars Technica · How this works
Ars Technica is hosting a live discussion with Ross Scott, the YouTuber and organizer behind Stop Killing Games, on August 11 at 3 pm ET. The conversation lands as Scott's campaign against publisher-driven game shutdowns continues gaining traction on both sides of the Atlantic.
From The Crew's shutdown to a global movement
Stop Killing Games began in 2024 after Ubisoft shut down The Crew, a 2014 racing game that required a persistent internet connection despite functioning largely as a single-player experience. Scott, better known for the long-running Freeman's Mind series, turned his frustration into an organized consumer campaign. The core complaint: publishers sell access to a game, collect payment, then later disable every copy sold, leaving buyers with nothing playable.
Not asking for forever, just an ending
Scott has been careful to frame the movement's demands narrowly. At a hearing before the European Parliament, he argued Stop Killing Games isn't asking publishers to support games indefinitely. Instead, it wants a reasonable end-of-life plan — something that keeps games functional once official servers go dark, rather than bricking them entirely.
"The movement's central grievance: a publisher takes the customer's money, then disables every copy sold, with no path back to playing the game."
Europe listens, legislation looms
The campaign has found its most receptive audience in the European Union, where consumer protection law already gives regulators more leverage over digital goods. Stop Killing Games has spun up a European Citizens' Initiative and pushed the issue into a formal European Parliament hearing organized alongside Moritz Katzner. Techdirt has described that hearing as a solid first step in what's now shaping up as a genuine legislative process. Meanwhile, a UK petition tied to the movement is set to trigger a Parliament debate, adding another front to the fight.
Not everyone's on board
The movement hasn't escaped pushback from inside the industry. Some developers argue the technical and financial burden of maintaining end-of-life solutions is more complicated than Stop Killing Games' framing suggests — concerns Scott addressed directly in a widely watched exchange with Tom Bilyeu. Critics writing in outlets like Mode Collapse have warned that if the campaign's demands aren't calibrated carefully, they risk becoming unworkable for smaller studios rather than just reining in large publishers.
Whether Stop Killing Games converts parliamentary hearings into binding law remains an open question, particularly outside the EU's more consumer-friendly legal environment. Ars Technica's live conversation with Scott offers a chance to press on the movement's next steps directly, from its legislative strategy to how it plans to answer developers' pushback.
Editorial Note
The research corroborates all major factual claims in the article: the founding of SKG in 2024 in response to The Crew's shutdown, Ross Scott's background, the movement's legislative strategy in Europe and the UK, and the framing of demands around end-of-life solutions rather than indefinite support. The article accurately characterizes the European Parliament hearing and the movement's reception in EU versus other regions.
Claim Tracker
AI-assessed
Wikipedia (Source 1) and Video game preservation Wikipedia (Source 4) both confirm SKG was started in 2024 by Ross Scott in response to Ubisoft shutting down The Crew, a 2014 racing game requiring constant internet connection that was mainly single-player.
Video game preservation Wikipedia (Source 4) identifies Ross Scott as 'the creator of Freeman's Mind.'
The Stop Killing Games European Parliament hearing (Source 2) directly confirms: 'The organisers argue that the issue is not about forcing publishers to support games forever, but about requiring a reasonable end-of-life solution.'
Mode Collapse (Source 3) confirms 'a petition which will culminate in a UK Parliament debate on November 3rd.'
Video game preservation Wikipedia (Source 4) states the initiative 'has generally received higher focus in the European Union countries, where there are more protection for consumers.'
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