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Rep. Ritchie Torres plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, a bill directing the Federal Trade Commission to create protections for video game buyers. It would address expiring digital licenses and require games with online features to retain working offline modes after servers close. The bill has not yet been formally introduced, and its sponsors and prospects are unclear.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, says he plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, legislation that would direct the Federal Trade Commission to set rules protecting video game buyers’ ownership rights. The proposal would address digital game licenses that can expire and require games with online features to retain offline modes after servers shut down.
According to Kotaku’s report, the bill would require companies selling digital games to provide players with more than a revocable license. It would also require games that rely on online features to offer offline modes that remain functional after a publisher ends server support. The proposal’s detailed text was not available in the source material, so its precise requirements and exceptions are not yet known.
Torres told Kotaku in a phone interview, “I think there should be a simple rule: if you pay for it, you own it.” In a press release, he said consumers should have “the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy.” He described games that become inaccessible when servers close as “a rental disguised as a sale.” Those are the lawmaker’s arguments for the bill, not a description of current legal requirements.
The proposal comes amid concerns about games becoming unavailable or losing key features when publishers withdraw online support. Kotaku reported that NBA 2K25 is scheduled to leave digital storefronts on October 30, with its online servers set to shut down on January 1, 2027. The report says the game’s most popular modes would then be inaccessible. These dates illustrate the issue Torres is addressing, but the source does not establish that the bill would change the game’s schedule.
What Players Could Keep
If enacted as described, the bill could change what buyers receive when they purchase a digital game. A continuing offline mode could preserve some play after a publisher stops maintaining servers, while stronger rules around licenses could affect how companies present digital purchases and what rights customers retain. The proposal concerns access to a title and whether a game remains usable after the commercial service around it ends.
The proposal concerns players who spend money and time on games built around online services. In the NBA 2K25 example cited by Kotaku, the game was reported as a top-selling U.S. title in 2024, and its online closure could remove access to popular modes. Torres has also described the proposal as an affordability issue, arguing that buyers should not lose access after paying for a game. The actual effect would depend on the bill’s final language and any regulations adopted by the FTC.
The measure is limited to video games, according to the report. It would not directly cover digital purchases of movies or music. Torres told Kotaku that gaming has a distinctive relationship to ownership, collecting and time invested, and said he hopes the proposal could serve as a model for rights in other areas of the digital economy. That broader effect is not established in the described bill.
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From Delistings to Legislation
The proposal follows public advocacy over games that become unplayable or lose major features when online services end. Kotaku linked the discussion to the Stop Killing Games campaign, which has urged companies not to sell games that can be rendered unplayable after support ends. Torres’s plan would address that concern through proposed federal regulation.
Questions about physical and digital access have also intensified as more games are sold without a traditional disc. Kotaku reported that a boxed copy of Grand Theft Auto 6 would contain a download code, and described plans to end disc production for a future PlayStation generation. Those examples are part of the wider debate over what consumers receive when a game is sold digitally; they do not establish the scope or likely effect of Torres’s bill.
Torres, who has represented New York’s 15th Congressional District since 2021, told Kotaku he grew up playing franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil and SOCOM. He described the proposal as a return to what he called the historical norm of buying and playing games. Whether the legislation would restore or create particular legal rights would depend on its text and how regulators interpret it.
““I think there should be a simple rule: if you pay for it, you own it.””
— Rep. Ritchie Torres, speaking to Kotaku
Bill Text and Support Remain Unknown
The legislation has not yet been formally introduced, according to the report, and its complete text is not available in the supplied source. It is therefore unclear how the bill would define ownership, which types of games or digital transactions it would cover, what would count as an adequate offline mode, or whether exceptions would apply to games that cannot function without servers.
Torres did not tell Kotaku whether the bill would have cosponsors or whether any Republican lawmakers would support it. The reporting also does not identify a committee assignment, a timetable for action or an estimate of the proposal’s chances. Publishers’ responses and any lobbying against the measure were not confirmed; Kotaku reported that major publishers would likely oppose restrictions, but that remains a prediction.
The proposal would direct the FTC to create regulations, but the source does not specify the agency’s intended rulemaking process, enforcement mechanisms or penalties. No enacted protections or immediate changes to existing games are established by the announcement.
Formal Introduction Comes First
The next concrete step is for Torres to formally introduce the Power To The Players Act in Congress. Once introduced, the bill would enter the legislative process, including committee consideration, before it could advance to a vote. Kotaku described that process as lengthy and noted that many proposed bills do not receive a full vote; the report cited an estimate that 87 percent of legislation never reaches one.
Readers will be able to assess the proposal more precisely when the bill text becomes public. Key details to watch include how it defines a digital purchase, what obligations it places on publishers, whether it covers games already on sale, and how the FTC would implement and enforce the rules. The number and political affiliation of any cosponsors will also help clarify the measure’s level of support.
Until those steps occur, the announcement signals Torres’s intent rather than a change in law. The status of NBA 2K25 and other games will depend on publisher decisions and existing arrangements unless Congress passes legislation and the relevant rules take effect.
Key Questions
What is the Power To The Players Act?
It is a bill Rep. Ritchie Torres says he plans to introduce. As described in the report, it would direct the FTC to set rules protecting video game buyers’ rights, including continued offline play after online servers shut down.
Has the bill been introduced or passed?
No. The source says Torres plans to introduce it, but it had not been formally introduced. There has been no passage of the bill or change in law reported.
Would the proposal make every game playable offline?
The reported outline says games with online features would need offline modes that still work after server shutdowns. The bill text is not available, so it is unclear how that requirement would apply to games designed to depend on online servers.
What happens to NBA 2K25 under the reported schedule?
Kotaku reported that NBA 2K25 is set to be delisted on October 30 and that its servers are scheduled to go offline on January 1, 2027, affecting access to its most popular modes. The announcement does not indicate that Torres’s proposal would change those dates.
Will the bill cover movies and music?
The reported proposal focuses on video games and does not include other digital media such as movies or music. Torres told Kotaku that he hopes the measure could set a precedent elsewhere, but that broader coverage is not part of the described bill.
Source: fediverse
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