Key Takeaways
1. The EU’s “Stop Destroying Videogames” campaign quickly gathered over a million signatures but faced declining support after initial success.
2. By January 2025, only 415,000 signatures had been collected, falling short of the required 1,000,000 with only five months left.
3. A sudden increase in media coverage led to a revival in interest and a rise in the number of signatures and countries meeting their quotas.
4. As of July 4, 2025, 23 EU nations achieved their required quotas, with Slovenia exceeding its goal.
5. Nordic countries showed strong participation, while Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus lagged behind, achieving only 37% to 52% of their quotas.
The EU’s campaign “Stop Destroying Videogames,” also referred to as “Stop Killing Games,” has successfully gathered over a million signatures, which was the crucial requirement for the EU. This initiative quickly collected the necessary signatures in just a few weeks across seven nations. However, this initial wave of support did not continue steadily.
Declining Support
After a strong start, the influx of new signatures significantly decreased, likely due to limited media attention. In January 2025, we revisited the numbers, and the outlook wasn’t promising. The initiative was still relatively unknown in many EU states. With only five months left until the deadline, only 415,000 signatures had been gathered out of the needed 1,000,000. Additionally, the count of seven countries with their respective quotas remained the same. Had the previous momentum persisted, the initiative would have been at risk of failing, as it was nearly 200,000 signatures short despite receiving signatures regularly.
A Sudden Turnaround
However, a notable shift occurred in the last few days. Media outlets began covering the looming failure of the EU initiative, which sparked increased interest. Consequently, not only did the number of signatures rise, but the amount of countries achieving their quotas also grew. As of July 4, 2025, 23 EU nations have successfully met the required quotas. Slovenia just made it with a score of 100.23%, while Bulgaria was close at 94.89%.
Regional Highlights
Particularly, the Nordic countries demonstrated impressive engagement. The remaining countries, Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus, are lagging behind, having only achieved between 37% and 52% of their quotas. The organizers emphasize that gathering more signatures could be beneficial in case some signatures turn out to be invalid. The response from the EU and the extent of it will likely be revealed in the months and years to come.
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