A proposed federal law could fundamentally change what it means to buy a digital video game. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing New York’s 15th Congressional District, has announced the Power To The Players Act, a measure aimed at replacing revocable game licenses with stronger ownership rights. The proposal would also require games with online features to retain a playable offline mode when publishers shut down their servers. Torres’ congressional office says the bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission to establish consumer protections covering the ability to own and continue playing purchased games.
The immediate target is a familiar frustration for players: a game can remain installed on a console or PC while becoming unusable because its authentication or multiplayer servers disappear. Torres specifically pointed to NBA 2K25, whose online services are scheduled to retire on December 31, 2026. According to 2K’s service-status page, offline modes including Play Now, MyNBA, MyWNBA, and The W are expected to remain available, while server-dependent features will be removed.
That example also shows why “offline support” is not necessarily the same as preserving the complete game. Reporting from GamesIndustry.biz notes that NBA 2K25 is scheduled to leave storefronts on October 30, 2026, with modes such as MyCAREER and MyTEAM becoming inaccessible after online services end. Players may retain access to selected standalone modes, but progression systems, multiplayer, virtual currency, and other network-dependent features will not survive the shutdown.
The proposal arrives amid a broader pushback against the industry’s shift from discs and cartridges toward account-bound downloads. The consumer campaign Stop Killing Games, spearheaded by Ross Scott of Accursed Farms, has argued that publishers should provide an offline mode, release server tools, or otherwise leave players with a lawful way to keep purchased games functioning after commercial support ends. The movement’s central distinction is important: it does not demand that publishers operate servers forever, but that games not be rendered entirely worthless when support concludes.
Torres’ bill would move that debate from consumer activism into federal regulation. As Kotaku first reported, the measure would seek to ensure that buying a digital game conveys ownership rather than merely a license that can expire. It would also address the ability to transfer purchased games, an issue that could have major consequences for digital storefronts, account systems, resale markets, and publishers’ control over older releases.
There is still a long legislative road ahead. The proposal must be formally introduced, referred to committees, and approved by both chambers of Congress before reaching the president, and it currently lacks congressional cosponsors. Even if it advances, the FTC would have to translate its broad consumer-protection goals into rules that account for live-service games, licensed music and sports content, downloadable updates, piracy concerns, and titles built around persistent online infrastructure. For players, though, the announcement establishes a clear political argument: a purchase should not become a temporary rental simply because a publisher decides a game’s servers have reached the end of their business life.
