A New York congressman wants to make buying a digital game mean actually owning it. On October 15, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) announced the Power To The Players Act — legislation that would direct the Federal Trade Commission to establish regulations protecting consumers’ ability to own and play the video games they purchase.
“I think there should be a simple rule: if you pay for it, you own it,” Torres told Kotaku in a phone interview this week.
The NBA 2K25 Problem
The announcement points to a concrete example of what it is trying to fix: NBA 2K25, which retailed for $69.99 for the standard edition and $99.99 for the All-Star Edition, will be delisted from digital storefronts on October 30 and have its online servers shut down on December 31 — only two years after its initial release.
“No consumer should have a game they paid for pulled out from under them on a company’s arbitrary timeline,” the announcement reads. Over the past few years, video game companies have moved toward digital-only games and consoles, and these digital games are often sold as revocable licenses rather than owned outright, leaving players dependent on the company’s continued support.
‘A Rental Disguised as a Sale’
“When you pay for a game, you should own it,” Torres said in the press release. “Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy. 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. Families in the Bronx and across the country save up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that can vanish at any time. The Power To The Players Act ensures consumers own what they buy and can keep playing long after a company moves on.”
What the Bill Would Change
Under the bill, buying a video game would give the consumer ownership of the game rather than a license to play it. Games with online functionality would also be required to provide an offline mode before the servers supporting them are shut down. The legislation aims to close the gap between buying a game and owning it — by preserving consumers’ ability to own and resell their games, the bill would ensure players can keep the games they paid for, with friends and family, for years to come.
The push reflects a year of gamer advocacy that began with the Stop Killing Games movement calling for companies to stop selling games that can be rendered unplayable when online support ends. It gained additional momentum this summer when Sony confirmed its next console generation will drop PlayStation disc production — and players are getting a preview of that all-digital future next month, when Grand Theft Auto 6 ships as a download code in a box, with no disc inside, at prices starting at $80.
Sources
- Rep. Ritchie Torres — Power To The Players Act announcement (House.gov)
- Kotaku — Rep. Ritchie Torres Announces Congressional Legislation To Protect Video Game Ownership
- PC Gamer — US lawmaker calls videogame purchases rentals disguised as sales
- Engadget — NY congressman to introduce bill protecting video game ownership