As we eagerly await the release of Star Wars: Outlaws, a petition has emerged, shining a spotlight on an issue that’s been a thorn in gamers’ sides for years: planned obsolescence in the gaming industry. This petition, titled “Stop Destroying Videogames,” is gaining traction as it aims to challenge the increasingly common practice of requiring always-online connections, even for physical copies of games like Star Wars: Outlaws.
What’s the Big Deal with Planned Obsolescence?
For those not in the loop, planned obsolescence is when companies design products—like our beloved video games—with an expiration date. In the gaming world, this often means that once the servers for a game go down, the game itself becomes unplayable. It’s like buying a car that stops working just because the manufacturer decided to close the dealership. Not cool, right?
With the upcoming Star Wars: Outlaws slated to be one of Ubisoft’s flagship titles, the petition’s creators are worried. They argue that even if you’ve got a shiny disc of the game sitting on your shelf, you’re still at the mercy of Ubisoft’s servers to actually play it. And what happens when those servers inevitably go dark? You guessed it—your game turns into an expensive coaster.
The Petition: Gamers Strike Back
The petition was launched on the European Citizens’ Initiative website and quickly caught the attention of the gaming community, particularly after being shared by DoesItPlay.org, a website dedicated to preserving games and ensuring they’re playable long after their release. The petition calls out games like Star Wars: Outlaws, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as potential victims of this planned obsolescence.
Here’s the kicker: even if you purchase a physical copy of Outlaws, you might still need to connect to Ubisoft’s servers just to start playing. The petition argues that this practice is unfair to consumers, who might one day find themselves unable to play the game they paid for simply because the publisher decided it was no longer profitable to keep the servers running.
The fear is real, folks. Imagine booting up Outlaws five years from now, only to be greeted with an error message because the servers have been shut down. All those epic space battles, daring heists, and underworld adventures, lost to the digital ether.
The Community Response: A Galaxy of Frustration
Gamers are rallying behind this petition, fed up with the industry’s increasing reliance on always-online requirements and digital rights management (DRM). Many have voiced their frustration, with some even vowing to boycott games that don’t include the full experience on the disc.
One particularly frustrated gamer put it bluntly: “Let me just say that a lot of these Ubisoft games would be day 1 for me, but since the whole game is not on the disc, I have very little interest in buying them, if ever.” It’s a sentiment that’s likely to resonate with anyone who’s been burned by server shutdowns in the past.
What Does This Mean for Star Wars: Outlaws?
For Star Wars: Outlaws, the stakes are high. Ubisoft’s decisions regarding server requirements could make or break the game’s legacy. If Ubisoft listens to the concerns raised by the petition and takes steps to ensure that the game remains playable even after server support ends, it could be a huge win for both the company and its fans.
But if not, Outlaws might join the ranks of games that are lost to time, only remembered by those who were lucky enough to play them while they were still supported.
A Call to Action
So, what can you do? If you’re passionate about game preservation and want to ensure that future generations can enjoy games like Star Wars: Outlaws, consider signing the petition. It’s a small step, but it could send a big message to publishers about the importance of preserving our digital heritage.
In the end, whether you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan or just someone who loves a good open-world adventure, we all want to see Outlaws thrive and remain accessible for years to come. Let’s hope that Ubisoft takes these concerns to heart and ensures that this game—and many others—doesn’t become a victim of planned obsolescence.
Join the fight against planned obsolescence and sign the petition here: Stop Destroying Videogames.
