Video gamers are lobbying the EU to require developers to propose a way for consumers to play their product, perhaps offline, if the company ends support. Ending online support for the game rendered it unplayable, even for those who had physical copies of it. Increasingly, though, video gamers can see their purchases become useless several years later, when the developer decides to shut down online servers supporting the game. Zálesák, who is from the Czech Republic and studying software development, says they got a sense there might not be much scope to take on video game developers in that legislation. The industry body, whose members include game developers such as EA, Ubisoft and Activision, said it knew decisions to effectively shutter a product could be difficult for players.

Source: The Irish Times January 29, 2026 10:31 UTC