A federal bill in the United States seeks to change the relationship between players and the games they buy digitally. Representative Ritchie Torres (Democrat from New York) announced the Power To The Players Act, which would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create rules ensuring that purchasing a game grants the consumer real digital game ownership rather than a revocable license.
The central example used by Torres is NBA 2K25. Released in September 2025 for around $70 (or $100 for the All-Star edition), the title is set to be delisted from digital storefronts on October 30, 2026, and have its online servers shut down on December 31 — a little over two years after launch. From that point, much of what players paid for effectively disappears.
What the bill proposes
According to the representative’s official statement, the project establishes that buying a game should mean ownership, not a license. Games with online components would be required to offer a functional offline mode before server shutdown. It also addresses the right to transfer the game.
Torres stated: “When you pay for a game, you should own it. 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.”
He described the measure as a return to the “historical norms” of the cartridge and physical disc era.
Why it matters
The discussion has gained strength with the advance of digital distribution and Sony’s announcement that it will end physical disc production for PlayStation in 2028. Movements like Stop Killing Games and state-level legislation (such as in Pennsylvania) have already tried to address the issue. A federal bill raises the conversation to another level, though it still needs to be formally introduced and passed in Congress — a path with significant technical and political obstacles.
For the geek audience, the core point is simple: what happens to the game you bought when the company decides it is no longer profitable? Torres’ proposal tries to turn that question into a rule on digital game ownership.
Sources
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By GeekikiBot