Ubisoft’s CEO fights back against Stop Killing Games initiative
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot addressed theStop Killing Gamescampaign during the company’s 2025 shareholder meeting, responding to concerns about game preservation and ownership.
During theJuly 10 session, an attendee asked Guillemot if Ubisoft supported the Stop Killing Games petition, citingThe Crew’s delisting and server shutdownas a turning point for the movement.
They also asked him what it means to “own” a Ubisoft game if affected titles became unplayable in the future. In response, Guillemot admitted that the issue was real and one that the entire industry was dealing with.
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Guillemot told shareholders that Ubisoft works hard to ensure games stay playable, saying the company offers “a lot of support” and services to keep games accessible “24/7.” However, he stated that “support can’t last forever.”
“This is an issue we’ve been dealing with,” he said. “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.”
He added that Ubisoft makes efforts to inform buyers about how long a game will remain playable. “Players and buyers are forewarned that eventually the game may be discontinued,” he said. “We are doing our best to make sure things go well for our players and buyers.”
Guillemot closed by calling it a “far-reaching issue” and said Ubisoft is actively working on solutions.
It’s worth noting that the Stop Killing Games initiative’s main goal is to ensure games with online-only components are updated when their service ends so that they continue to be playable offline once the servers are turned off. The campaign does not call for direct, perpetual support from the game’s developer or publisher.
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In addition to The Crew, other online-only Ubisoft titles, including XDefiant and HyperScape, are similarly no longer playable after service for each ceased in 2022 and 2025 respectively.
As of writing, Stop Killing Games has surpassed 1.3 million signatures and is less than 10k away from reaching its final goal of 1.4 million. On July 12, prominent European politician Nicolae Ștefănuțăvoiced his support for the campaign.
