Ritchie Torres proposes game ownership rules and offline access after server shutdowns
US Representative Ritchie Torres has announced the Power To The Players Act, which would direct the Federal Trade Commission to treat purchased games as owned, transferable products rather than revocable licences. The proposal would also require games that rely on online services to offer an offline mode before their servers close; it has not yet been formally introduced in Congress.
Bottom line — Torres’s proposal would give the FTC a role in protecting game buyers’ rights to own, play and transfer their purchases.
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Torres pointed to NBA 2K25 as an example of the issue: its online services are due to end after the game is delisted.
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According to The Verge, the bill would require an offline mode before supporting servers shut down.
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InvenGlobal reports that the proposal also seeks to protect buyers’ ability to transfer or resell games.
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The Verge notes that a similar proposal, Pennsylvania’s Protect Our Games Act, would offer an offline mode, independent online mode or a minimum 25% refund when a game is sunset.
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Tech Insider reports that the European Stop Killing Games initiative cleared the one-million-signature threshold and was under Commission review.
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Yahoo News says the bill had not been formally introduced when Torres announced it, leaving its legislative path uncertain.