Ars Live recap: How can we stop publishers from killing their own games?
Summary
Ars Technica hosted a live talk about the Stop Killing Games movement, which aims to keep video games playable after publishers shut down their online servers. Ross Scott explained that planning for game preservation early can lower costs and that legal clarity is needed, especially in the European Union.Key Facts
- The Stop Killing Games movement works to prevent games from becoming unplayable when online servers shut down.
- Ross Scott felt the issue of long-term game access was a problem over 15 years ago but no one had started fixing it.
- Currently, publishers can close game servers at any time with little or no warning to players.
- Planning for end-of-life support during game development can make transferring games to third-party servers cheaper and easier.
- Most online games have local test servers, which could help maintain game access after official servers close.
- The EU Parliament has been slow to clarify laws on game preservation.
- There is hope that the Digital Fairness Act will address some issues related to game access and preservation.
- The movement seeks clear legal rules to protect gamers’ rights to keep playing old games online.
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