U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D–New York) plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, proposed legislation designed to strengthen consumer ownership rights over purchased video games and preserve access to offline play after publishers shut down supporting servers.
Announced on October 15, the proposal would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish regulations giving consumers ownership rights over games they purchase rather than merely a license to play them. It also aims to protect consumers’ ability to transfer and resell their games, addressing concerns about players losing access to purchased content when publishers discontinue support. “When you pay for a game, you should own it,” Torres said in his official announcement. The proposal comes amid growing debate over digital ownership, game preservation and the long-term consequences of publishers moving toward digital distribution.
Torres cited NBA 2K25 as an example of the problem. According to 2K’s official server-shutdown notice, the game will be removed from digital storefronts on October 30, 2026, and its online services will end on December 31. However, the shutdown will not make the entire game unplayable. Players who already own NBA 2K25 will still be able to redownload it and use supported offline modes, including Play Now, MyNBA, The W and MyWNBA. From January 1, 2027, online-dependent features—including MyCAREER, MyTEAM, multiplayer and online leagues—will no longer be available. The distinction illustrates the broader concern: purchasing a game does not necessarily guarantee permanent access to every feature.
Under Torres’s proposal, games with online functionality would have to provide an offline mode before their supporting servers are shut down. The announcement does not require publishers to maintain online services indefinitely, but implementing offline functionality could be technically difficult for games designed around server-dependent systems. The proposal remains at an early stage. As Ars Technica’s analysis explains, requiring offline modes could create technical and implementation challenges, while the legislation would still need to advance through Congress. At the time of the announcement, the full bill text was not publicly available, leaving questions about its precise scope and enforcement unresolved.
For now, the Power To The Players Act represents a proposed response to a growing consumer concern: whether buying a video game should guarantee the right to keep playing it after a publisher moves on. Its eventual impact will depend on the final legislative language and whether Congress advances the measure.
