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Stop Killing Games Organiser Warns EU Kids Act Could Affect Online Games

Ross Scott warns that the proposed EU KIDS Act could have broad consequences for online games. The Commission’s summary does not establish a blanket game ban or confirm those predicted effects.
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Stop Killing Games organiser Ross Scott warns that the European Commission’s proposed EU KIDS Act could have far-reaching effects on online games, including possible identity checks for players and restrictions on private servers. Those are Scott’s predictions, not established legal consequences. The Commission’s summary describes child-safety measures focused on specified social-networking and video-sharing services; it does not say that children would be banned from all video games.

What the EU KIDS Act proposes

The European Commission published its proposal, formally titled “EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy,” on 17 September 2026. The Commission says it aims to protect minors from risky digital services and AI systems, uphold the digital single market, and maintain a coherent framework for protecting minors online. The Commission’s summary of the EU KIDS Act says the proposal would limit autonomous account creation by children under 15 on specified online social networking services and video-sharing platform services.

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That summary does not establish a blanket ban on children playing video games. Nor does it, on its own, confirm the more sweeping effects on games that Scott has warned about.

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What Ross Scott says could happen to games

Kotaku reported on 1 October 2026 that Scott called the proposal exceptionally severe for consumers and argued it could require identifying information for online game play and make private game servers illegal. He said: “As it stands, the EU Kids Act is the most draconian proposal I’ve ever seen regarding video games and consumers.”

Massively Overpowered’s 2 October headline relayed Scott’s warning as: “This is a bomb that could implode the whole video games industry.” That is advocacy language, not a finding by the Commission or a settled assessment of what the proposal would do.

The distinction matters: the Commission’s public summary sets out the proposal’s stated aims and some covered rules, while Scott is warning about possible implications for games. The precise application to game publishers, online play, identity checks, and private or community servers remains unresolved in the available reporting. It would be misleading to state as fact that the proposal makes private servers illegal or requires every player to provide identity documents.

Why the proposal’s status matters

The EU KIDS Act was a proposal, not an enacted obligation, in the October 2026 coverage. The Commission’s public consultation was scheduled to run until 26 November 2026 at midnight Brussels time. The Commission page links to the proposal and supporting material; its summary should not be treated as a substitute for the operative provisions when judging how particular games or servers might be affected.

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How this differs from Stop Destroying Videogames

Stop Killing Games and the EU KIDS Act are separate policy matters. The citizens’ initiative known as Stop Destroying Videogames asks for measures against publishers remotely disabling games consumers have bought. It is about preserving continued playability, rather than the Kids Act’s stated focus on protecting minors online.

The European Economic and Social Committee reported in June 2026 that the initiative was submitted to the Commission on 26 January 2026 with 1.3 million verified signatures. It also said Commission representatives would consider proportionality and whether enforcement or adaptation of existing rules could partly address the initiative’s goals. At an EESC debate, Stop Killing Games organiser and NGO deputy director Pavel Zálešák argued: “If designed responsibly, most games that connect to the internet can operate indefinitely without publisher support.” ECI signatory and law professor Alberto Hidalgo Cerezo said: “When a game is functional, it should not cease to function as a result of deliberate and avoidable decisions.” These are arguments in the game-preservation debate, not provisions of the EU KIDS Act.

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What players can conclude now

  • The Commission’s stated objective is protecting minors and creating a coherent EU framework, with the summary naming account-creation limits for children under 15 on specified social-networking and video-sharing services.
  • Scott’s warnings about identity information, private servers, and wider industry damage are predictions that require checking against the proposal’s operative wording and its eventual interpretation.
  • The proposal’s consultation deadline was 26 November 2026; the October reports described a proposal, not a final law.
  • The Stop Destroying Videogames initiative concerns whether purchased games can remain playable after publisher support ends, a distinct issue from child-safety rules.

As background, the EESC cited recent figures that approximately 130 million Europeans, or 29% of the population, play video games; the EESC passage does not identify the original statistical publisher for those figures. Separately, a 2023 European Parliament resolution said EU consumer law applies to video games and called for consistent enforcement and consideration of protections for minors. Neither point resolves how the 2026 proposal would apply to online games.

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