Torres introduces ownership bill

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from New York, proposed the Power to Players Act to ensure video game buyers own their purchases rather than holding licenses to play them.

NBA 2K25 shows the problem

NBA 2K25 launched on September 6, 2025, but is scheduled to become unplayable on December 31 due to server shutdowns, illustrating the issue the bill aims to prevent.

Torres on ownership rights

Torres stated consumers must have the right to own, play, and transfer games they buy. A game that vanishes when a company shuts servers is a rental disguised as a sale.

“When you pay for a game, you should own it.”

Restoring historical norms

Torres told Kotaku he believes the rule should be simple: if you pay for it, you own it.He called this a restoration to the historical norm of how games were experienced in the nineteen nineties.

“I think there should be a simple rule: if you pay for it, you own it.”

Wider movement on preservation

The bill arrives as game ownership and preservation become contested issues. Consumers protested Sony's plan to discontinue physical PlayStation game releases, though digital downloads account for eighty-two percent of full-game sales.

Physical media alone won't solve it

Many disc-based games still require online servers to function. End-user license agreements make clear the user purchases a revocable license, not actual ownership, even when files are on physical media.

Technical challenges ahead

The bill requires normally online-only games to offer offline modes so players can continue playing after servers shut down. Some online games may not be engineered to support this, requiring developers to redesign their architecture.

Uncertain path to law

The bill faces a long legislative path and most proposed legislation never reaches a vote. The full text is not yet public, making it impossible to assess its effectiveness or enforceability at this stage.