Trade body Video Games Europe has responded to a popular petition from consumer movement Stop Killing Games. 

The organisation has said that developers and publishers must have the option to discontinue online titles when things aren't exactly working out. Stop Killing Games is an initiative designed to, well, stop companies halting access to experiences that consumers have paid for. One recent example is Ubisoft axing 2014 racing title The Crew, with many arguing that customers should still be able to access the game as they paid for it. 

The petition has north of 1.2 million signatures so far. 

"We appreciate the passion of our community; however, the decision to discontinue online services is multi-faceted, never taken lightly, and must be an option for companies when an online experience is no longer commercially viable," Video Games Europe wrote. 

"We understand that it can be disappointing for players but, when it does happen, the industry ensures that players are given fair notice of the prospective changes in compliance with local consumer protection laws.

"Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable. In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create.

"We welcome the opportunity to discuss our position with policymakers and those who have led the European Citizens Initiative in the coming months."