UK gamers get first dedicated lobby group as ID checks and shutdowns loom
Key Points
- Gamers' Voice has launched as the UK chapter of the global Stop Killing Games movement
- It will act as the first dedicated lobby group for UK video game players, developers and creators.
- The launch comes three weeks before the Growing up in the online world consultation closes on 26 May 2026
- Measures under consideration include ID checks for adult access to games, restrictions on livestreaming, a raised age of digital consent and curbs on "addictive" design features.
- The group has cross-party backing, including Tom Gordon MP, and ties to a UK Parliament petition that crossed 100,000 signatures
- The campaign also targets digital ownership and monetisation practices
UK gamers now have their first dedicated lobby group, launched three weeks before a Government consultation closes that could require adults to show ID to access games and impose new restrictions on younger players.
Gamers’ Voice has launched as the UK chapter of the global Stop Killing Games movement, set up as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
The group said it will represent UK players, developers and content creators in policy debates, citing an absence of dedicated representation despite 8 to 12 million people regularly playing computer games in the UK.
According to the group’s website, its stated objects include opposing exploitative monetisation, defending digital ownership and pushing back against negative stereotypes around gaming.
The launch comes at a pivotal moment for UK gaming policy. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, granting the Secretary of State broad powers to make regulations restricting children’s access to online services, including video games.
Government can exercise those powers through secondary legislation, which bypasses normal scrutiny of new primary legislation. The Growing up in the online world consultation, which closes on 26 May 2026, will shape how the government uses them.
What the consultation could change
The consultation is examining a statutory minimum age for social media and other services, including gaming sites, restrictions on livestreaming and “addictive” design features, a raised age of digital consent, and tighter age assurance requirements that could mean adults verifying identity to access certain online services.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has said it will publish a progress statement by 29 July 2026 and act swiftly using its new powers.
Gamers’ Voice spokesperson Tom Shannon said the group wants players in the room as Government drafts those rules.
“Too often, conversations about gaming happen without input from people who enjoy playing them,” Shannon said.
“From questions of digital ownership and monetisation practices, to proposals linked to online safety laws that could require adults to show ID to access games or restrict younger people’s ability to stream their gameplay or socialise, we want to ensure gamers are part of those conversations.”
The launch has secured early engagement from MPs across parties. Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said: “Gaming is a hugely important part of how people relax, socialise and connect. Gamers’ Voice is doing valuable work to ensure that players are properly represented and that their voices are heard in decisions that affect them.”
Gordon spoke at a Westminster Hall debate on Video Games and Consumer Law on 3 November 2025, after a UK Parliament petition on game shutdowns crossed 100,000 signatures.
Stop Killing Games and the Ubisoft trigger
Stop Killing Games founder Ross Scott has welcomed the UK arm.
“While much of the SKG movement has been focused in the EU, the issue of game destruction is global, so the more governments that can achieve basic protections for customers and the medium, the better. We absolutely appreciate Gamers’ Voice pushing the issue forward in the UK,” Scott said.
The parent campaign hit one million signatures on a European Citizens’ Initiative on 3 July 2025, making it eligible for European Commission debate.
Ubisoft’s 2024 shutdown of racing title The Crew, which required a constant online connection even for largely single-player content, triggered the campaign.
Campaigners and parliamentarians widely view UK consumer law in this area as inadequate.
The November Westminster Hall debate heard MPs from multiple parties call on the government to review the Consumer Rights Act for digital obsolescence, noting that publishers can render purchased games inoperable when servers shut down.
Ubisoft has since added an offline mode to The Crew 2 in October 2025, with Motorfest still pending. The original Crew remains lost.
The next three weeks will test whether Gamers’ Voice can shape the consultation outcome.
After the window closes on 26 May 2026, DSIT will draft regulations that may govern UK gaming for years.
