Ubisoft CEO Responds to Stop Killing Games Campaign

During Ubisoft’s shareholder meeting held on July 10, 2025, CEO Yves Guillemot engaged with pressing concerns surrounding the Stop Killing Games campaign, which emphasizes issues related to game preservation and ownership rights.

At the meeting, an attendee raised significant points regarding the petition and highlighted the delisting and server shutdown of The Crew as critical catalysts for the movement. They questioned Guillemot on the implications of “owning”a Ubisoft game if such titles risk becoming unplayable in the future. Guillemot recognized the legitimacy of these concerns, acknowledging that they represent a broader dilemma within the gaming industry.

Ubisoft’s Commitment to Game Accessibility

Guillemot communicated Ubisoft’s dedication to maintaining game accessibility, asserting that the company provides extensive support services to keep games operable at all times. Nonetheless, he candidly remarked that “support can’t last forever, ” highlighting the transient nature of online services.

“This is an issue we’ve been dealing with. But this issue is not specific to Ubisoft. All video game publishers are faced with that issue. You provide a service, but nothing is written in stone, and at some point the service may be discontinued. Nothing is eternal.”

In 2024, Ubisoft shut down the servers for The Crew, rendering the game unplayable.

Guillemot further explained that Ubisoft strives to inform players about the potential for game discontinuation. He stated, “Players and buyers are forewarned that eventually the game may be discontinued. We are doing our best to make sure things go well for our players and buyers.”

Wrapping up his remarks, Guillemot characterized the ongoing concerns as a “far-reaching issue.” He assured shareholders that Ubisoft is actively seeking feasible solutions to address these challenges.

The Stop Killing Games initiative aims primarily to ensure that games with online components receive updates that enable them to be playable offline once their services are shut down. Notably, the campaign does not demand continuous support from developers or publishers.

In addition to The Crew, other Ubisoft titles that are online-only, such as XDefiant and Hyper Net, also ceased operations, making them unplayable after the service discontinuation in 2022 and 2025, respectively.

As of now, the Stop Killing Games petition has amassed over 1.3 million signatures, nearing its target of 1.4 million. Notably, on July 12, European politician Nicolae Ștefănuță publicly endorsed the campaign, further amplifying its visibility and impact.

Source & Images