New Bill Introduced in Congress Targeting Video Game Ownership
Representative Ritchie Torres has introduced the Power To The Players Act, a legislative measure designed to reshape how video game ownership and server shutdowns are handled by major publishers.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
Introduction of the Power To The Players Act
A new legislative push in the United States Congress aims to fundamentally alter how video game purchases are classified, moving away from restrictive digital licensing agreements and toward absolute consumer ownership. Representative Ritchie Torres, representing New York’s 15th congressional district in the Bronx, officially introduced the [Power To The Players Act](https://ritchietorres.house.gov/posts/rep-torres-announces-power-to-the-players-act-legislation-to-ensure-gamers-own-their-games) this week, drawing widespread attention from the gaming community and industry analysts alike. If successfully passed through the legislative process, the bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission to establish strict regulations that guarantee consumers ownership of a game whenever they pay for it, replacing the modern digital norm of purchasing a restricted software license instead.
The introduction of this bill follows a growing wave of consumer frustration regarding digital storefronts, server retirements, and the gradual disappearance of tangible physical media formats across the video game industry. In recent years, the standard consumer experience has shifted heavily toward digital downloads and online-dependent services. Consequently, many players have found that purchasing a digital title does not grant them permanent access or control over the software they paid for, leaving their libraries entirely at the mercy of corporate decision-making and server lifecycles.
Addressing Server Closures and Digital Disappearance
In the modern video game ecosystem, it has become increasingly common for games sold to consumers to require a mandatory, constant connection to an online server to function properly. This reliance means that when a publishing company eventually decides to shut down those operational servers, the affected video games often become completely unplayable, erasing access for users who spent their hard-earned money on the product. To highlight this ongoing issue, Representative Torres specifically singled out NBA 2K25 as a prominent and recent example of the consumer dilemma.
According to the details surrounding the issue, publisher 2K plans to delist the game from digital storefronts at the end of the month and will officially shut down its supporting servers on December 31st. This double action severely limits the long-term playability of the title, leaving owners with a useless product. Situations like this have driven lawmakers to look closer at consumer rights in digital spaces, aiming to ensure that people are not left empty-handed when corporations decide to move on to newer releases or cut operational costs.
Detailed coverage from outlets like [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/policy/1013521/video-game-ownership-bill-congress-power-to-the-players-act) has underscored how these sudden server shutdowns highlight the fragility of digital-only libraries. When a game vanishes or stops working entirely because the publisher turned off the backend infrastructure, the concept of purchase ownership becomes entirely illusory for the average consumer.
The Context of Physical Discs and Industry Shifts
Concerns surrounding digital ownership, alongside a player's ability to play, resell, or transfer their purchased games, have drawn intense public attention recently. This heightened awareness was accelerated significantly following Sony’s corporate announcement that it planned to [phase out physical game discs](https://www.theverge.com/games/960160/sony-playstation-disc-production-ending) by the year 2028. The impending reduction and eventual elimination of physical media formats mean that consumers will have fewer alternatives to digital storefronts, intensifying the urgency around ownership rights.
In a formal statement announcing the introduction of the new legislation, Representative Torres addressed the core philosophical problem facing modern gamers. He stated clearly, '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.' This stark phrasing captures the sentiment of millions of players who feel that modern software distribution models mislead buyers by labeling digital transactions as sales while treating them as revocable permissions.
Proposed Regulatory Solutions and Offline Requirements
If the legislation successfully passes through Congress, the newly empowered Federal Trade Commission would not only give players true ownership of a game, ensuring they hold legal rights rather than a temporary license to play it, but it would also impose proactive operational requirements on software developers. Specifically, the bill would require game developers to institute a functional offline mode before shutting down any supporting online servers, thereby preserving the utility of the software for existing owners.
This federal proposal shares conceptual similarities with state-level initiatives. For instance, the [Protect Our Games Act](https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/proposed-pennsylvania-law-targets-publishers-that-kill-digital-games-publishers-must-provide-offline-mode-an-independent-server-patch-or-a-25-percent-minimum-refund) was introduced by State Senator John Kane in Pennsylvania. That state-level bill seeks to mandate that companies provide an offline gaming mode, an online gaming mode operating independently of company-owned servers, or a minimum 25 percent refund to consumers when digital titles are sunsetted by publishers.
Broader Implications for the Video Game Industry
The push for consumer rights legislation marks a critical turning point in the relationship between massive publishing corporations and individual video game players. For decades, the software industry has operated under custom end-user license agreements that favor corporate flexibility over consumer protection. By involving federal regulators like the Federal Trade Commission, lawmakers are signaling that the traditional rules governing digital goods may need statutory intervention to protect public interests.
As the debate over the Power To The Players Act continues to unfold in Washington, industry stakeholders, developers, and consumer advocates are watching closely to see how publishers will respond. Whether through mandated offline patches, alternative server solutions, or altered distribution models, the outcome of this legislative effort could permanently alter how video games are bought, sold, and preserved for future generations.
Sources
- The VergeVideo game ownership bill introduced in Congress
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