UK Parliament addresses outrage over publishers disabling purchased games: “Gamers deserve clarity”

UK MPs recently turned their attention to the outrage surrounding gamers losing access to video games they had previously purchased. A heated Westminster Hall debate took place on November 3 over e-petition 702074, titled “Prohibit publishers irrevocably disabling video games they have already sold,” urging officials to update consumer laws to prevent video game publishers from making sold games unplayable, especially live service games.

In the opening session, Ben Goldsborough, MP for South Norfolk, kicked off the debate, stating, “I come to the debate not only as a member of Parliament, but also as a lifelong gamer.” The MP in question has avidly played video games such as Cities: Skylines, Victoria II, and the Oddworld series.

He further emphasized the industry’s importance, stating it “contributes £7.6 billion to the UK economy and supports more than 75,000 jobs” and serves as a “cultural powerhouse shaping stories, art, music, and technology.”

Goldsborough further explained how live service titles with their server dependencies have redefined game ownership among consumers, stating, “When a game shuts down without clear notice, the investment is lost. The shared world disappears.”

The debate quickly turned to game preservation concerns as Goldsborough mentioned that the Video Game History Foundation’s 2023 study found that 87% of games released before 2010 are considered “critically endangered” due to their commercial unavailability in either digital or physical formats.

Another MP, Warinder Juss for Dudley North, chimed in and drew an analogy, stating, “We do not accept our mobile phones being switched off whenever a company produces a new model and wants us to buy the new model. So why should we allow thousands of pounds worth of games to be made unplayable just because new games have been introduced?”

To the surprise of many gamers, Sony’s Concord became the poster child for the debate, illustrating video game shutdowns, as the live-service shooter’s servers went dark just two weeks after release.

Henry Tufnell, MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, directly brought Concord into the debate and said, “A recent example is Concord, a game released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in August 2024. Following a disappointing launch, Sony Interactive Entertainment made a commercial decision to shut it down. 

To its credit, Sony refunded all purchases, but that is not always the case with certain titles being unceremoniously removed at an arbitrarily announced date. Members will agree that if publishers fail to make the lifespan of a game clear at the point of sale, they must be held accountable.”

Goldsborough wrapped up his argument by standing against heavy industry regulations, which “stifle innovation,” and iterated that “gamers deserve clarity. If a game is likely to go offline, they should be told.”