US Representative Ritchie Torres has introduced the Power to the Players Act, a proposed bill aimed at changing how digital video games are sold and managed. The measure would require the Federal Trade Commission to regulate the market, with the stated goal of ensuring buyers have meaningful ownership rights rather than access limited to a revocable license.
Torres said consumers should be able to own, play and transfer the games they acquire. He argued that a title can feel more like a rental than a purchase if a company can make it unavailable by shutting down its services.
The proposal would seek to have platforms recognise the transfer of game licenses and protect access to purchased libraries, including against titles becoming unavailable without warning. It would also require developers to provide offline modes for games with online features before permanently shutting down their servers.
The bill addresses concerns raised by groups such as Stop Killing Games. The report cites NBA 2K25 as an example, saying that scheduled server closures can remove most of a game’s modes after two years, including options designed for single-player use.
The proposal’s future depends on its progress through the US Congress. Its introduction brings digital game ownership and preservation into the US political debate, alongside discussions taking place in Europe.
Sources: Nintenderos.