Congress Introduces Bill for Digital Game Ownership
The Power to Players Act seeks to protect consumer access to games and require offline modes.
Updated on Oct. 19, 2026 in Gaming
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Representative Ritchie Torres has introduced the Power to Players Act to ensure digital game purchases include rights to own, play, and transfer software. The legislation aims to prevent publishers from rendering purchased games unplayable through forced server shutdowns.
Why it matters
The bill seeks to establish clear ownership rights for consumers who often pay full retail prices for digital games that can be deactivated by developers. It targets the practice of forced server reliance, ensuring players retain access to their software even after online support ends.
Digital games typically retail for $70, while NBA 2K25 reached 11.5 million units in sales by August 2025. The title ranked as the 5th best-selling game in the U.S. in 2024 and the 18th in 2025.
The players
Ritchie Torres
He is a U.S. Representative who introduced the legislation to codify digital ownership rights.
Federal Trade Commission
This federal agency would be empowered to enforce new digital ownership and offline access standards under the proposed act.
The details
This proposed law would task the Federal Trade Commission with enforcing digital ownership standards. Publishers would be required to build offline modes for any game that previously relied entirely on online servers to function.
Timeline
NBA 2K25 released in late 2024.
Sales for NBA 2K25 hit 11.5 million units in August 2025.
The European Commission decided against new digital ownership laws in June 2026.
Culture Shift
The legislation follows a pattern set by the Stop Killing Games European Citizens' Initiative, which mobilized over 1.29 million people to demand better digital consumer protections. This move reflects a growing global pushback against digital-only models that allow publishers to delete access to purchased content.
If passed, the bill could protect your $70 digital game purchases from becoming unplayable if a developer shuts down their servers. This would grant you greater security in the longevity of your digital library and influence how companies structure future releases.
The takeaway
Consumers are increasingly seeking legislative solutions to maintain control over digital property that was previously treated as a temporary license. This act signals a potential turning point in how ownership rights are defined in a software-dependent marketplace.
Further reading
For more context on the current state of consumer rights in the industry, visit the United States Gaming section.
Live Poll
Should companies be forced to keep digital games playable after they shut down online servers?
