US Representative Ritchie Torres plans legislation that would force publishers to respect game ownership and allow offline play before shutting down supporting servers.
The New York Democrat announced the Power To The Players Act on 15 October, targeting the revocable licences attached to digital purchases. The proposal would direct the Federal Trade Commission to set rules that protect ownership and continued access.
Publishers have spent years stretching the meaning of “buy” until it apparently means borrowing something until the seller gets bored.
“When you pay for a game, you should own it,” Torres said. His proposal would protect consumers’ ability to transfer and resell purchased games and require offline mode before online services close.
That could create an awkward conversation for digital storefronts, whose enthusiasm for collecting full purchase prices rarely extends to second-hand sales.
Torres highlighted NBA 2K25, which faces delisting on 30 October and an online server shutdown on 31 December, roughly two years after release. Those dates concern storefront availability and online services, so they should not be confused with the disappearance of every remaining offline function.
The proposal goes beyond requiring publishers to warn customers before a shutdown and challenges the licensing arrangements underpinning digital game sales.
TechSpot reports that Torres intends the measure to cover games, with films and music excluded from its current scope. The congressman hopes it could establish a precedent for other digital purchases.
An offline requirement would force publishers to consider continued play before switching off infrastructure that their paying customers still need.
The announcement raises serious questions about implementation, particularly for games built around multiplayer services and third-party licensed content. Publishers will doubtless explain why accepting money was straightforward while preserving access requires several miracles and a parliamentary inquiry.
