The “Stop Killing Games” initiative received a lot of support in summer 2024. However, it is now on the verge of failing – and the prominent Twitch streamer Jason Thor Hall, also known as “PirateSoftware”, is said to be to blame.
What is this initiative? The YouTuber Ross from “Accursed Farms” launched the “Stop Killing Games” movement in August 2024, which calls on video game publishers to keep their titles in “a functional state.”
In order to bring the initiative to the EU Commission, 1 million signatures from EU citizens are needed, but currently, over 400,000 are still lacking. If the missing signatures are not collected by July 31, 2025, the initiative will be considered failed, as reported by colleagues at GameStar.
The frustration of the supporters is now directed against the Twitch streamer Thor “PirateSoftware” Hall, who had sharply criticized the project.
In April 2024, Ubisoft took the servers of the racing MMO The Crew offline and removed the game from players’ libraries. However, even those who had purchased a disc could no longer play.
Founder accuses streamer of misrepresenting the initiative
What is the current situation? On June 23, 2025, Accursed Farms published a video titled “The End of Stop Killing Games.” In it, he talks about the difficult status of the initiative and eventually addresses the conflict with PirateSoftware.
“If you have only seen this video [by PirateSoftware] about Stop Killing Games, you were misinformed,” said the YouTuber. “It comes from someone who does not understand the campaign, tried to stop it, and made up what it’s about.”
Accursed Farms explains that PirateSoftware, with his massive reach, would have had a noticeable impact on the movement. Because when the critical video was released, the signatures noticeably decreased – just as Stop Killing Games had gained momentum.
The YouTuber also says he did not want to start any “drama” back then and hoped that the truth would come out by itself. However, if the campaign fails because he avoided the topic, he at least wants to set a few things straight:
- PirateSoftware had claimed that the initiative specifically targets single-player games with “always online” that become unplayable when servers are shut down. Accursed Farms clarifies: The movement is about all types of games.
- Contrary to what PirateSoftware claimed, the initiative does not demand that multiplayer games at the end of their life be turned into single-player titles. Instead, publishers should provide a plan to keep the games alive without official support.
- Accursed Farms also emphasizes that they have nothing against the existence of live-service games; on the contrary: they want to prevent their destruction.
- The movement is not concerned with license terms being too ambiguous, but rather that they are so consumer-unfriendly that they should simply be discarded.
The YouTuber further explains that the initiative is intended as a “starting offer” to the game industry. Publishers can then clarify their position, and perhaps a compromise could be found with the EU Commission. If one restricts oneself too much in advance, one ends up with nothing. Additionally, these initiatives have a signature limit: the EU does not want fully developed plans with 50 niche examples.
PirateSoftware defends himself: Sorry, but…
What does PirateSoftware say about it? The video led to a wave of criticism against PirateSoftware, whom some supporters of the movement now hold responsible for the possible failure of the initiative. The Twitch streamer outlined his perspective in detailed statements on June 25 and 26, 2025, on X.
He apologizes for being an “asshole” and explains: He had an emotional reaction because the subject is very important to him. As a developer, he has been trying for almost 10 years to make people understand how difficult it is to develop video games.
The initiative, as it is phrased, is not feasible from his perspective and could restrict developers who want to create online games in the future.
The streamer emphasizes that he also cannot stand the state of the AAA industry and prefers indie games. However, he maintains his criticism of the initiative.
How is this being discussed now? The reaction on YouTube is quite clear: There are videos with titles like “PirateSoftware just ruined everything,” “He just won’t stop killing games,” or “I hate PirateSoftware.”
With 2.7 million views, the reaction from Charlie “Critikal” White is probably the most widely viewed on YouTube. He also expresses criticism and accuses PirateSoftware of still not recognizing that he misrepresented the initiative.
Instead, he presents it as if he were right and everyone else simply cannot comprehend his perspective as a developer.
If you want to support the initiative, you can still do so until July 31 on the official website of the EU Commission.
The star of PirateSoftware is anyway sinking. At the end of 2023, he recorded rapid growth on YouTube and Twitch by presenting himself as the “voice of reason” and sharing anecdotes from his time in the gaming industry. But recently, his wisdom is increasingly being questioned: Former Blizzard employees claimed that StarCraft 2 made less money than a mount from WoW – Now the claim is backfiring on him
