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The proposal responds to a familiar problem for digital players. A game can be sold for a premium price yet remain dependent on a publisher’s account system, digital storefront, authentication checks or servers. If the publisher delists it or ends the service, buyers may lose practical access even though they paid for the game.
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What the Power To The Players Act would change
Torres’s office describes a federal rulemaking mandate for the FTC. The intended baseline is that buying a game confers ownership rather than only a revocable license. The announcement lists four consumer rights:
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- Own the purchased game.
- Play it after a publisher delists it or ends a service, subject to the proposal’s technical requirements.
- Transfer the game to another person.
- Resell the game.
For a game that includes online functionality, the proposal would require an offline mode before the supporting servers are shut down. That language addresses games that have a meaningful single-player or local component but currently depend on a remote service to launch or function.
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The announcement does not say how the FTC would define ownership, what remedies buyers could claim, how digital transfers would work, or which technical systems would count as prohibited barriers. Those details remain unresolved until official bill text or later congressional action appears.
Why the issue is becoming urgent
The gap between the price on a store page and the durability of access is easiest to see in sports and live-service games. Torres’s announcement uses NBA 2K25 as an example: the standard edition was listed at $69.99 and the All-Star Edition at $99.99. The same announcement says the game was scheduled to be removed from digital storefronts on October 30, 2026, with online servers scheduled to close on December 31, 2026—about two years after release.
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Delisting stops new customers from obtaining a title, while a server shutdown can affect existing customers. PC Gamer reported that Ubisoft’s The Crew went offline in 2024 and that purchasers could no longer play even its single-player campaign. These cases illustrate why a “purchase” may feel more like temporary access when launch authentication or core game systems remain online.
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Ownership versus a license today
| Question | Typical digital-game arrangement | Power To The Players Act proposal |
|---|---|---|
| What does payment provide? | A license governed by platform and publisher terms is common. | Ownership of the purchased game. |
| Can access end after delisting? | New sales can stop, and continued access depends on the title’s account and technical requirements. | Rules intended to preserve the owner’s ability to play. |
| What happens at server shutdown? | A game may stop launching or lose essential features if it requires a remote service. | An offline mode would be required for games with online functionality before supporting servers close. |
| Can the buyer transfer or resell it? | Platform terms and account systems often restrict or do not provide a simple mechanism. | The proposal expressly describes transfer and resale rights; the mechanism is not specified. |
| Who would set the rules? | Publishers and platform operators set most access terms, subject to existing law. | The FTC would be directed to establish consumer-protection regulations. |
What the proposal could mean for players
Longer-term access
If enacted in a form matching the announcement, a publisher could not simply treat a paid game as disposable when a storefront listing ends or a service is retired. The practical result would depend on whether the game can be patched to run locally and whether the rules cover older purchases.
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Offline play after a shutdown
The offline requirement is not a promise that every online feature would survive. Competitive matchmaking, cloud saves, events and other server-based functions could still end. The stated goal is an offline mode, where technically feasible under the eventual rules, so that the game itself remains usable.
Transfer and resale
A legal right is different from a button in a storefront. Digital games are commonly tied to personal accounts, and copying a file does not by itself transfer the license or ownership record. The announcement does not explain whether platforms would have to build a marketplace, support one-time transfers, allow account-independent keys or use another system.
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What is still unknown
- No bill number or legislative text has been published with the October 15 announcement.
- The announcement does not provide an enforcement process, penalties, a private right of action or a compliance deadline.
- It does not define how the proposal would treat DRM, periodic authentication, platform accounts, downloadable patches or games whose servers provide essential game logic.
- It does not state whether the rules would apply to prior purchases, future sales only, physical editions, subscriptions or downloadable content.
- No confirmed congressional schedule is included, so introduction does not indicate when—or whether—Congress will vote.
What players can do now
- Check a game’s store description and support page for an internet, account or server requirement before buying.
- Keep installers, patches and local save backups when the platform permits it, while recognizing that a backup may not bypass authentication or account checks.
- For ownership-focused buying, consider DRM-free releases. PC Gamer identifies purchases from GOG as an example because customers can back up the game files and use them while compatible hardware remains available.
- For boxed or disc editions, verify the exact title and platform: disc contents, mandatory patches, account checks and online dependencies vary widely.
- Watch for official notices about delisting and shutdown dates, and download any permitted content before a service closes.
Torres’s argument
“When you pay for a game, you should own it,” said Rep. Torres. “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.”
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