The government will not protect your access to direct service games

6 February 2025 | Playing games

Efforts to protect gamers against “Shuttering Suddenly -Tiba – or” sunpetting “publisher – direct service game failed this week, after the government stated that there were” no plans to change the law of British consumers about deactivating video game video games “.

A petition that has passed the 10,000 signature threshold for parliamentary discussions is placed in front of the government, but the Department of Culture, Media and Sports said that while recognizing the concerns of gamers, it would not change the laws around the outdated digital in the near future .

The call from gamers is to prohibit publishers from “Irrevocly deactivating the video games they have sold”, with the reason that the games designed so that they cannot be played when choosing a company chosen to be the planned obsolete.

It came from behind complaints about titles such as Ubisoft Open World Race Games Crewwhich is considered unable to play when the server is taken offline in April 2024. A similar fate that has the potential to wait for a prominent game like Gran Turismo 7which offers very limited offline gameplay.

Gamers really believe that the game they pay is up to £ 60 – or has the potential to be £ 80 – because it has to work forever. This always happens with the game in the 2000s and before, because the absence of online services means that the disk must work outside the box, and will always be done in the future.

But the widespread arrival of broadband connections means that in the 2010s, the developer integrates online services so close to the game that without an internet connection they will offer much less functionality – or not at all.

And this is not limited to online game mode. Gran Turismo 7 and the latest interactive IO Assassin The second title is an example of an excellent single player game that is burdened by the requirements that are always online. When their server is finally deactivated, players will have access to very limited experience.

Although maintaining online services remains alive forever clearly unrealistic from the financial perspective, the developer must plan ahead to avoid disrupting its users when they are closed. I believe my attitude makes sense:

• Single player games should not require online connectivity
• If possible, multi -donated games must make content available offline – for example, allow players to use the Solo Co -Oop Mission
• Before “Sunsetting”, the developer must release the code to allow gamers to run their own personal servers and continue to play if they want it

And if developers and publishers do not play fair? Well, of course your best way as a responsible gamer is to stop buying their products.