This year revealed the increasing concern among gamers about the ownership of digital games. 2024 marked a turning point when gamers began to take the erosion of their ownership rights more seriously, especially as more games disappeared from storefronts and online features became unplayable. One notable example is Concord, a high-budget AAA shooter backed by PlayStation, which was taken down after only 11 days. This event, along with numerous other games disappearing from the market, has brought the issue of game preservation to the forefront of many gamers’ minds. Famously made the titles the “Stop Killing Games” campaign, which aims to oppose the industry’s assault on consumer rights and media preservation. The campaign advocates for the classification of video games as “goods” rather than “services,” arguing that goods should not be rendered inoperable by the seller after purchase. Digital distribution platforms such as Steam have added disclaimers about ownership due to the rise in games being rendered inoperable and licenses being revoked. This has led to a growing realization that players do not truly own their games, prompting some to seek alternatives such as GOG (Good Old Games), which reassures customers that their purchased games are permanent and cannot be taken away. Additionally, GOG has committed to a preservation program to ensure older games remain functional on contemporary systems. From the industry perspectives, some developers and studios expressed frustration with the current state of game ownership and preservation. For instance, Larian’s director of publishing criticized Ubisoft’s actions, stating that if players were expected to adapt to not owning games, developers must also adapt to job insecurity. On a more positive note, certain publishers, such as Capcom, have embraced the value of their back catalogues and invested in re-releases and remakes. The industry is also seeing the benefits of partnering with companies specializing in remastering and servicing old games, indicating a growing recognition of the value of older titles beyond just preservation. ExpHub collected in the past years the increasing concerns about game ownership and preservation within the gaming community. The events of 2024 have shed light on the fact that many players do not truly own the digital games they purchase, leading to calls for change and the exploration of alternative platforms that prioritize permanence and preservation. ExpHub commitment is to represent those players that so far were abandon by publishers and lost their records and profiles.