Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres is introducing legislation that aims to ensure you own your digital games, rather than merely buying a license that gives you permission to play them.
The bill, known as The Power to the Players Act, would direct the Fedral Trade Commission (FTC) to establish regulations that would protect gamers and their digital libraries. In short, Torres wants to ensure that when you buy a digital game, you actually own it, as opposed to getting a license that can be revoked. Additionally, the bill would require online games to have offline functionality, so that when servers are shut down, the content can still be played by those who own the game.
“Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy,” Torres said in a press release. “A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase. It is a rental disguised as a sale. Families in the Bronx and across the country save up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that can vanish at any time. The Power To The Players Act ensures consumers own what they buy and can keep playing long after a company moves on.”
Torres made an example out of NBA 2K25, a game that recently announced that it would be rendering single-player modes inaccessible due to servers shutting down. The news gained widespread attention, as many were confused why a game that's only two years old was becoming obsolete so soon.
Torres' bill addresses ongoing controversies in the industry. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that PlayStation would be ditching physical games starting in 2028, which would mean gamers wouldn't be able to truly own their games starting with the next-generation. GTA 6 is also skipping a physical release this November, meaning there won't be any used copies of the game following its release. It's a slippery slope, and one that gamers have been battling for some time now.
The Stop Killing Games movement has been fighting to make games more accessible to their current owners, even after they shut down servers. Torress' bill would ensure they get their way, at least in the United States. Of course, we'll have to see if this bill makes it to the finish line, but it's a noble effort and shows that someone is trying to make change happen.