Video Games Europe, a trade association that represents a bunch of major game publishers, have issued a statement pushing back against Stop Killing Games.
You are buying a license. That’s the legal action you are taking. Even when you buy a physical copy, that’s not ownership of the game. You can’t duplicate and sell the copies. You can’t duplicate and give them away. Both are copyright infringement.
Sure you can sell an older physical copy second hand, because there’s no one there to stop you, which is why companies have moved to largely digital: the communications infrastructure makes it easier (like you said). But also it allowed companies to keep a tighter hold on their property.
I agree that if they wish to end support for a game, it should have a countdown timer to then be in the “public domain” so to speak.
But that’s the uphill battle I spoke of, because you’d need to rewrite a precedent that currently allows for 90+ years of copyright.
Sure you can sell an older physical copy second hand, because there’s no one there to stop you, which is why companies have moved to largely digital: the communications infrastructure makes it easier (like you said). But also it allowed companies to keep a tighter hold on their property.
I agree that if they wish to end support for a game, it should have a countdown timer to then be in the “public domain” so to speak.
But that’s the uphill battle I spoke of, because you’d need to rewrite a precedent that currently allows for 90+ years of copyright.