"When you pay for a game, you should own it": US official proposed a law to protect video game owners' rights"

Congressman Ritchie Torres will introduce the Power To The Players Act, a bill designed to protect gamers' rights to own purchased games, transfer them to other users, and continue playing them even after servers are shut down.

Ritchie Torres, a US Democratic Party representative from New York, announced his intention to introduce the Power To The Players Act. If the initiative is passed, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will develop rules aimed at protecting the rights of video game buyers and preserving the ability to play purchased titles.

According to him, consumers should have the right to own purchased games, play them, and transfer them to other people. The politician also emphasized that a product that a company can make unavailable at any time after server shutdown is effectively a rental disguised as a purchase.

The issue of digital ownership of video games has existed for a long time, especially on PC, where digital distribution became the common way to acquire games decades ago. However, in recent years, the issue has gained additional relevance on consoles as well, which are gradually moving away from physical media. Specifically, earlier this year, Sony announced plans to cease production of physical game discs in 2028.

The bill pays special attention to the fate of online games after server shutdowns. One of the most prominent examples was The Crew by Ubisoft, whose servers were shut down in 2024. After this, owners of the purchased game lost the ability to play it, including the single-player campaign.