United States Representative Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing New York City, has announced plans to introduce new legislation aimed at protecting consumer rights in the video game industry. Titled the "Power To The Players Act," the proposed bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish regulations ensuring players maintain genuine ownership over the digital video games they purchase.
According to statements from Torres's office, the draft legislation seeks to give consumers explicit rights to own, play, and transfer their purchased software. As reported by PC Gamer, Torres criticized the current digital marketplace model, arguing that transactions marketed as purchases often function as temporary licenses that can be revoked without warning. When a publisher turns off server access for a title, players are frequently left unable to access software they paid for, which Torres characterized as a rental disguised as a sale.
Addressing Server Shutdowns and Licensing
A key objective of the Power To The Players Act is addressing the fate of online-connected games when publishers decide to decommission them. The proposed legislation would mandate that developers or publishers provide playable offline modes before shutting down server infrastructure for titles with single-player or offline-capable components.
The legislative initiative follows years of growing public debate over software preservation and digital storefront practices. While PC platforms transitioned toward digital distribution decades ago, console platforms are increasingly following suit. Earlier this year, Sony announced plans to cease physical disc production by 2028, accelerating the shift toward entirely digital ecosystems where players rely on revocable digital licenses rather than physical media.
Concerns over losing access to purchased titles have also spurred global consumer movements. The "Stop Killing Games" campaign, led by founder Ross Scott and organizer Moritz Katzner, presented arguments to the European Parliament earlier this year advocating for mandatory offline functionality when games are retired. Campaign organizers frequently highlight high-profile shut-downs, such as Ubisoft's decision to take its racing title The Crew offline in 2024, which rendered even single-player content unplayable for existing buyers.
Why It Matters
If introduced and enacted, the Power To The Players Act could mark a significant shift in how video game software is sold, packaged, and maintained globally. For decades, standard end-user license agreements have defined digital purchases as non-exclusive, revocable licenses rather than physical assets. Federal intervention through FTC rulemaking could force major storefronts and publishers to restructure their business models, legal disclaimers, and software architecture.
Mandating offline access before server retirements may require developers to alter game design from the start, embedding fail-safe offline options into online-heavy titles during development. While storefronts offering DRM-free downloads allow users to store local files independently, widespread platforms using copy protection may face complex regulatory hurdles in defining what true ownership means under FTC rules.
Beyond immediate technical changes, legislative scrutiny in the United States alongside activist pressure in Europe suggests that regulators are paying closer attention to consumer rights in digital markets. As physical media continues to fade, the outcome of this proposal could establish lasting legal standards for how digital entertainment products are owned and preserved across the global gaming ecosystem.
Illustration: AI-generated image, not a photograph of the event.