Your favorite online game just vanished overnight. Again. The servers shut down, your $60 purchase became worthless digital air, and the publisher shrugged with a “thanks for playing” email. California’s Assembly just voted 43-16 to end this nightmare with AB 1921, the “Protect Our Games Act”—the first major legislative win for gaming preservation advocates who believe you should actually own what you buy.
Publishers Face New Responsibilities
Three key requirements could transform how companies handle game shutdowns.
Under the bill, publishers can’t just flip the switch anymore. They’ll need to:
- Give you 60 days’ notice before delisting a game
- Offer full refunds if your purchase becomes unplayable
- Provide some way to keep the game running even after they stop supporting it
Think private servers or offline modes, not just “sorry, we’re done here.”
The legislation specifically targets “digital game operators” who delist games after service ends, with language designed to prevent purchased games from becoming unusable when servers shut down.
What Games Are Actually Protected
The law targets paid digital games starting in 2027, with notable exclusions.
AB 1921 applies to digital games released or resold starting January 1, 2027. Free-to-play and subscription-based games get a pass, which makes sense—nobody expects Fortnite to run forever without Epic’s servers. But that single-player indie game you bought on Steam? Publishers will need to ensure it stays playable somehow.
The bill would also bar continued sale or distribution of games that become unusable because of shutdowns, preventing the classic move of selling video games right up until the servers die.
Still Needs Senate and Governor Approval
The Assembly vote marks progress, but the legislative journey continues.
This Assembly victory connects directly to the broader “Stop Killing Games“ campaign, which argues that purchasing a game should mean actually owning it. The Entertainment Software Association has opposed the measure, suggesting the industry takes this threat to their shutdown practices seriously. The bill still needs California Senate approval and the governor’s signature to become law.
Your digital game library hangs in the balance. If AB 1921 becomes law, California could force the entire industry to rethink how they treat your gaming purchases—turning “games as a service” back into “games as products you actually own.”
