The Stop Destroying Videogames citizens’ initiative, the EU petition that’s part of the Stop Killing Games campaign, has had an anonymous transparency complaint filed against it.
That’s according to Ross Scott, the YouTuber who’s become the figurehead of Stop Killing Games, which in case you’re out of the loop aims to stop publishers rendering online games unplayable when official support ends. Instead, the movement wants companies to be required to put concrete end-of-life plans in place if they elect to do things like turn servers off.
In a video posted to his channel Accursed Farms, Scott said that the Stop Destroying Videogames EU initiative has had an anonymous transparency complaint relayed to it by the European Commission. As the YouTuber makes clear here, this initiative – which is listed as having amassed 1.4 million signatures thus far – has different organisers to the wider Stop Killing Games campaign Scott’s become the public face of, despite the latter frequently promoting the former. And, you know, their names being very similar.
The complaint document, which Scott linked in the video’s description, accuses the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative of violating the rules for such calls on the European Commission to consider introducing new laws in two ways. It alleges that the initiative’s organisers have provided a “false ‘no funding’ declaration” by leaving the sources of funding section of its listing on the EU site blank, and that there’s been “systematic concealment” of major contributions to the campaign.
Both look to hinge on one thing: the nature of Ross Scott’s involvement with the initiative. The complaint alleges that the sorts of hours Scott says he’s often dedicated to the campaign “far [exceed] any reasonable volunteer threshold”. So, the complaint argues that since “professional time investment constitutes quantifiable in-kind contribution under transparency regulations”, Scott’s involvement is equal to professional contributions it values at being worth €63,000-147,000.
Watch on YouTube
So, to put a bow on things, the complaint’s argument is that this sum, which Scott says he very much hasn’t been paid because he’s been volunteering, should have been declared by the initiative. The complaint also cites Scott frequently being identified as being responsible for or in charge of the EU initiative to back up this claim, to which the YouTuber responded by pointing out that he’s not listed among the organisers on the initiative’s page and has “no actual authority” over it.
In the video, Scott speculates that this complaint represents “someone…trying to kill the initiative” and implies that recent responses to the initiative lead him to think it may be connected to some sort of games industry representative. There’s currently no concrete evidence for the latter, given that as the YouTuber says the version of the complaint that’s been passed on is anonymous, as is standard protocol with EU transparency complaints. In order to submit one, you’ve got to provide details about who you are to the EU, but the body will then “not reveal your identity publicly” unless you ask them to.
Also, when it comes to Scott’s fears about this potentially having serious repercussions for the initiative, it’s worth noting that the EU site says the following with regards to what happens to groups who have complaints submitted against their initiatives:
If we consider the complaint to be admissible, we will ensure that you receive a copy of the complaint and ask you to provide a reasoned response by a certain deadline.
We may ask you to provide additional information and will treat any information that you indicate to be considered sensitive as confidential. You will be given all possibility to be sufficiently heard before any decision is taken. We expect you to cooperate sincerely and constructively throughout the investigation.
So, no talk of any immediate existential threats to the initiative prior to the claims made being thoroughly investigated. Assuming that Scott is being transparent in his arguments above, it seems that the initiative has nothing to worry about from this.