The European Commission said on Tuesday it will hold talks with video-game publishers and consumers after rejecting a citizens' initiative that called for EU legislation to maintain "end-of-life" video games.
In a European Citizens' Initiative entitled "Stop Destroying Videogames," gamers had demanded that the commission propose legislation to ensure video games remain playable once purchased.
They were responding to a widespread practice of video-game publishers shutting down servers required to play modern games - rendering them partially or completely unplayable.
The initiative collected almost 1.3 million signatures within a year.
In a press release, the commission said it was unable to regulate these cases as EU copyright law allows rights holders alone to determine the terms of use for their creations.
It noted that EU consumer law already provides important safeguards for consumers' economic interests. For example, video-game providers must inform consumers about the duration and the conditions for terminating the contract before the consumers sign up for the video game.
Instead of regulation, the EU's executive body said it plans to engage with consumers and publishers with the aim of jointly drawing up a code of conduct to manage video games' "end of life."
