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Rep. Ritchie Torres plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, a bill that would direct the FTC to create rules protecting video game ownership. The proposal would address expiring digital licenses and require games with online features to retain working offline modes after servers close. It has not yet been formally introduced, and its sponsors and path through Congress are unknown.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, a bill directing the Federal Trade Commission to create regulations protecting consumers’ rights to video games they buy. The proposal would address digital purchases that are sold as licenses and games that become unplayable when online servers shut down.
As described by Torres to Kotaku, the bill would require companies selling digital games to give buyers more than a license that can expire. It would also require games with online features to provide offline modes that continue to work after a publisher ends server support. The exact legal language and scope of the proposed rules have not been published in the source report.
Torres said the legislation is intended to protect consumers’ rights to own, play and transfer games. In a press release, he argued that a game that can be taken away when a company stops supporting it is not a genuine purchase. The proposal would task the FTC with developing regulations; it is not described as an immediate ban on digital sales or as a requirement that every game remain online indefinitely.
The announcement follows the planned shutdown of support for NBA 2K25. Kotaku reported that 2K Games confirmed the game would be removed from digital storefronts on October 30 and that its online servers would close on January 1, 2027. The report said those changes would make its most popular modes unavailable. Torres told Kotaku he had not bought NBA 2K25.
What the Bill Would Change for Buyers
The proposal targets a gap between how many customers understand a purchase and how digital games can be licensed and supported. A buyer may pay for a title but lose access to some or all of it if a license expires, a storefront listing disappears, or essential servers are shut down. Torres’s plan would make continued access and the ability to play offline part of the rules companies must follow.
That could affect players who spend money on games and invest time in modes tied to online services, as well as families buying games for long-term use. If enacted, the bill could also change publishers’ decisions about how games are designed and sold. The proposal remains only a planned bill, however; no regulatory changes have taken effect.
Torres described the issue as one of affordability, arguing that consumers should not lose a paid-for product when a company moves on. Whether lawmakers and regulators adopt that view—and how any rules would balance preservation, licensing and online services—remains unsettled.
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From Server Shutdowns to Ownership Rules
The immediate example in the report is NBA 2K25, which Kotaku identified as the fifth best-selling U.S. game of 2024. Its reported delisting and server-closure dates illustrate two different forms of reduced access: a game disappearing from sale and online features ceasing to work. The report says the closure would affect the game’s most popular modes, not that every part of the game would become unusable.
The proposal also comes amid wider debate about digital-only gaming and game preservation. Kotaku linked the discussion to the Stop Killing Games advocacy campaign, which calls on companies not to sell games that can become completely unplayable after online support ends. The report also cited concerns about future console purchases becoming more dependent on downloads and codes rather than physical discs.
Torres said he sees the bill as a restoration of longstanding expectations about buying and playing games, rather than a radical change. The proposal is focused on video games; the report says it does not cover other digital media such as movies and music. Torres suggested the approach could eventually inform protections elsewhere in the digital economy, but that is a stated hope, not a provision of the announced bill.
“I think there should be a simple rule: if you pay for it, you own it.”
— Rep. Ritchie Torres, in an interview with Kotaku
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Bill Text and Support Still Unknown
The legislation has not yet been formally introduced, so its final wording, definitions and enforcement mechanisms are not confirmed in the report. Torres did not say whether the bill would have cosponsors or whether members of the opposing party would support it. It is also unclear how the proposal would apply to different game formats, subscription services, titles built around online play, or publishers’ existing licenses.
The report describes the bill’s broad aims, but does not establish how the FTC would write or enforce any eventual rules. Nor is passage assured: once introduced, legislation must proceed through Congress, including committee consideration. The proposal’s effect will depend on its text, lawmakers’ response and any regulations adopted if it becomes law.
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Formal Introduction and Committee Review
The next step is for Torres to formally introduce the bill in Congress. The source report does not give an introduction date. After introduction, the proposal would enter the congressional process, including committee review, before it could advance toward a full vote. No schedule, committee assignment or vote date was provided.
Readers can assess the proposal more fully once the bill text is public, including which games and purchase types it covers and what remedies companies would face for noncompliance. Any future developments on cosponsors, hearings or committee action would show whether the announcement is gaining legislative support.
game backup and preservation software
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Key Questions
What is the Power To The Players Act?
It is a planned bill from Rep. Ritchie Torres that would direct the FTC to create regulations protecting video game ownership. The proposal would address digital licenses and require offline play for games with online features after servers shut down.
Has the bill been introduced or passed?
No. The source report says Torres plans to introduce it. It has not yet been formally introduced, and there has been no vote or enactment.
Would the bill keep every game’s servers online?
The reported proposal does not require servers to run indefinitely. It would require games with online features to have offline modes that still work after server support ends.
What happens to NBA 2K25 under the reported schedule?
Kotaku reported that 2K Games planned to delist NBA 2K25 on October 30 and close its online servers on January 1, 2027. The report said the closure would make its most popular modes unavailable; it did not say that every game mode would stop working.
Does the proposal cover movies or music?
No such coverage was described. The announced proposal is focused on video games; Torres said he hopes it could serve as a model for other digital-media protections later.
Source: fediverse
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