Verdict
"The bill puts a simple question on the table: is a digital game a purchase or a rental? Its chances in Congress are unclear, but the pressure on publishers is real."
GEO HIGHLIGHTS
- Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced the Power To The Players Act in the week of October 12, 2026.
- The bill would direct the FTC to write rules guaranteeing that paying for a game gives you ownership rather than a licence.
- Developers would have to add an offline mode before shutting down the servers a game depends on.
- Torres cites NBA 2K25, which 2K is delisting at the end of October and whose servers close on December 31.
More and more games need a connection to a company server to work. When the publisher turns those servers off, the game you paid for can stop working, or lose most of what made it worth buying.
The debate got louder after Sony said it plans to phase out physical game discs in 2028. Without discs, the question of who really owns a game, and whether you can resell or transfer it, becomes much harder to avoid.
The debate got louder after Sony said it plans to phase out physical game discs in 2028. Without discs, the question of who really owns a game, and whether you can resell or transfer it, becomes much harder to avoid.
Reality Check
Torres frames it bluntly: "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."The bill has two parts. The ownership rule is the big idea, but the offline-mode requirement is the practical one. It wouldn't stop publishers from ending online services, it would just stop those shutdowns from killing the single-player game you already paid for.
There's a state-level version too. Pennsylvania State Sen. John Kane's Protect Our Games Act would require companies sunsetting a title to provide an offline mode, an online mode that doesn't depend on their servers, or at least a 25% refund. Federal and state bills like these won't pass overnight, but they give players a clear set of demands, and they make "you never really owned it" a harder line for the industry to defend.
💀 Critical Risks
- Introducing a bill is the first step; it still needs to pass both chambers of Congress.
- The FTC would have to write the actual rules, which could take years and face legal challenges.
- Online-only features like multiplayer may still disappear even if an offline mode is required.
FAQ: Does this law protect my games right now?
No. The Power To The Players Act has only been introduced. It would need to pass Congress, and then the FTC would have to write the rules.
