Torres bill would make game buyers owners instead of license holders
The proposal could force publishers to treat game purchases as ownership and keep online games playable after servers go dark.
Rep. Ritchie Torres has introduced the Power To The Players Act, a bill meant to push the FTC to write rules that would stop publishers from treating game purchases as temporary licenses. The proposal says a game buyer should own the copy, and that online games would need an offline mode before servers are turned off. Torres specifically cited NBA 2K25 as an example of the problem, since it is being removed from digital stores and its online servers are set to shut down two years after release. The bill arrives after years of criticism of games that become unplayable when support ends, a pressure point that also helped fuel the Stop Killing Games movement.
Why it matters
For players, the bill would change what a purchase means: if it becomes law, buying a game would no longer leave access at the publisher’s discretion. It would also require a way to keep online games usable after servers shut down, which would directly affect how long purchased games remain playable.
Keep or strike?
Does this story matter, or is it hype? Mark it before you see what everyone else did.
Sources
- Tom's Hardware