Firstly, this is not TSW related. Button that hatch straightaway. Think of it as more directed at games like CrushDepth (have a look at the steam store page). It's not my petition, I'm just sharing it. Keep comments respectful in order to maintain the visibility of the petition on this forum please. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/659071/
Probably should have posted in Off Topic though… But signed it anyway. The problem I can see though is where publishers and developers are outside the UK. As two train related examples, Trainz is based in Australia with their authentication and download server based god knows where. Same with Run 8. Oh and a third example, SimRail. Highly doubt their servers are in the UK and if it did go belly up, even Steam would turn round and say, you had xxx hours of gameplay, you’ve had your money’s worth, no refund. Suspect this might be aimed more at tablet games who try and extort huge sums of money via their so called freemium front door, then at a later date shut down the game. There’s a UK based tablet developer called Space Ape who had a game called Samurai Siege, which they closed down saying it was end of life. They are now doing similar with a game called Rival Kingdoms which was quite an in depth battle and base building game. I never put any money into it, but they frequently wanted up to £100 for loot boxes which I bet some people were dumb enough to pay. To be left with… nothing, when the servers close.
I completely support this, however I cannot sign the petition being no UK or british resident. (By the way, yes, since it's not directly related to TSW, would be better appropriate in Off-Topic). Tip: Maybe share this elsewhere in other game forums.
I agree with the proposal, though I can see how it’s a lifetime cost to the developers/companies, however it’s completely wrong to be selling broken stuff or to break customers purchased products and no refund. it’s a tough market but if developers/companies can’t handle it, get out of it though that joke… I mean of course respectable government wouldn’t lift a finger, even if it got 10 million signatures.
Update- UK govt response. Require videogame publishers to keep games they have sold in a working state - Petitions (parliament.uk)
Open edit- This is not directed at TSW. See thread title and post 1. Close edit. "This response was given on 2 May 2024 Those selling games must comply with UK consumer law. They must provide clear information and allow continued access to games if sold on the understanding that they will remain playable indefinitely. The Government recognises recent concerns raised by video games users regarding the long-term operability of purchased products. Consumers should be aware that there is no requirement in UK law compelling software companies and providers to support older versions of their operating systems, software or connected products. There may be occasions where companies make commercial decisions based on the high running costs of maintaining older servers for video games that have declining user bases. However, video games sellers must comply with existing consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). The CPRs require information to consumers to be clear and correct, and prohibit commercial practices which through false information or misleading omissions cause the average consumer to make a different choice, for example, to purchase goods or services they would not otherwise have purchased. The regulations prohibit commercial practices which omit or hide information which the average consumer needs to make an informed choice, and prohibits traders from providing material information in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner. If consumers are led to believe that a game will remain playable indefinitely for certain systems, despite the end of physical support, the CPRs may require that the game remains technically feasible (for example, available offline) to play under those circumstances. The CPRs are enforced by Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority. If consumers believe that there has been a breach of these regulations, they should report the matter in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 (www.citizensadvice.org.uk). People living in Scotland should contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 (www.consumeradvice.scot). Both helplines offer a free service advising consumers on their rights and how best to take their case forward. The helplines will refer complaints to Trading Standards services where appropriate. Consumers can also pursue private redress through the courts where a trader has provided misleading information on a product. The CRA gives consumers important rights when they make a contract with a trader for the supply of digital content. This includes requiring digital content to be of satisfactory quality, fit for a particular purpose and as described by the seller. It can be difficult and expensive for businesses to maintain dedicated support for old software, particularly if it needs to interact with modern hardware, apps and websites, but if software is being offered for sale that is not supported by the provider, then this should be made clear. If the digital content does not meet these quality rights, the consumer has the right to a repair or replacement of the digital content. If a repair or replacement is not possible, or does not fix the problem, then the consumer will be entitled to some money back or a price reduction which can be up to 100% of the cost of the digital content. These rights apply to intangible digital content like computer software or a PC game, as well as digital content in a tangible form like a physical copy of a video game. The CRA has a time limit of up to six years after a breach of contract during which a consumer can take legal action. The standards outlined above apply to digital content where there is a contractual right of the trader or a third party to modify or update the digital content. In practice, this means that a trader or third party can upgrade, fix, enhance and improve the features of digital content so long as it continues to match any description given by the trader and continues to conform with any pre-contract information including main characteristics, functionality and compatibility provided by the trader, unless varied by express agreement. Consumers should also be aware that while there is a statutory right for goods (including intangible digital content) to be of a satisfactory quality, that will only be breached if they are not of the standard which a reasonable person would consider to be satisfactory, taking into account circumstances including the price and any description given. For example, a manufacturer’s support for a mobile phone is likely to be withdrawn as they launch new models. It will remain usable but without, for example, security updates, and over time some app developers may decide to withdraw support. Department Culture, Media & Sport"
