UK government responds to Stop Killing Games petition, and it's not good: 'There is no requirement in UK law' that forces companies to support old software
The UK government has issued a response to a petition filed by the Stop Killing Games campaign, and it's probably not what organizers were hoping to hear. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport said videogame companies must comply with existing consumer laws, but also noted that there is no law compelling them to support older versions of their products.
Stop Killing Games came together earlier this year, catalyzed by Ubisoft's decision to end online support for The Crew, rendering the 10-year-old racing game unplayable because of its online requirements. Founder Ross Scott is hoping that pressure from gamers will convince governments to impose laws requiring game makers to ensure games are left in a playable state when online support is ended, very generally by removing any dependence on connectivity in order to function.
The UK Government and Parliament Petition website says that any petition garnering 10,000 signatures will get a response from the government, and the Stop Killing Games petition is well past that benchmark, having attracted more than 23,000 signatures so far. The site does not, however, guarantee a response that will make petitioners happy, and I have to guess that not many are happy with this reply.
«Consumers should be aware that there is no requirement in UK law compelling software companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems, software or connected products,» the response states. «There may be occasions where companies make commercial decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older servers for videogames that have declining user bases.»
UK law requires relevant consumer information to be «clear and correct,» and forbids omitting, hiding, or presenting that information «in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.» To that end, «if consumers are led to believe that a game will remain playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support, the [Consumer
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