Rep. Ritchie Torres Introduces Bill to Safeguard Video Game Ownership Rights: “If You Buy It, It’s Yours”
The fifth best-selling game in the U.S. for 2024 was NBA 2K25. Each year, players invest countless hours and dollars into this immersive basketball simulation. However, just over two years post-launch, 2K Games has announced it will be delisting the game from digital stores on October 30. By January 1, 2027, the online servers will also be shut down, rendering popular modes unplayable. A game that many purchased for $70 will soon be largely obsolete. Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres aims to address this issue.
“I believe there should be a straightforward rule: if you pay for it, you own it,” Torres stated in a recent phone interview. To make this a reality, the U.S. representative for New York’s 15th congressional district plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act in Congress. This legislation would instruct the Federal Trade Commission to establish regulations that protect ownership rights for video games. Companies selling digital titles would be required to provide players with more than just a temporary license, and games featuring online components would need to include offline modes that remain functional even after servers go offline.
The core principles of this legislation align with what many gamers have been advocating for over the past year. The movement gained traction with the Stop Killing Games advocacy group, which has been urging companies to halt the sale of games that become entirely unplayable once online support ceases. This momentum increased over the summer when it was revealed that Sony would stop producing physical discs for its next console generation, effectively pushing future PS6 buyers toward an all-digital model. Players will get a glimpse of this future next month with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which will be available only as a download code in a box, leaving fans with no control over a purchase that starts at $80.
“Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy,” Torres emphasized in a press release. “A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase; it’s a rental disguised as a sale. Families in the Bronx and across the nation save up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that can disappear at any moment. The Power To The Players Act ensures consumers own what they buy and can continue playing long after a company moves on.”
As more gamers call for regulations to safeguard game ownership rights in an increasingly digital landscape, the specifics of the legislation will be crucial, and major publishers are likely to lobby vigorously against any limitations on their business practices. The bill must be formally introduced in Congress, where it will undergo a lengthy committee process. Torres has not confirmed whether the bill will have any co-sponsors or if any Republican colleagues will support it. Public trust in Congress is at a historic low, with an estimated 87 percent of legislation never reaching a full vote.
Although Torres admitted he didn’t purchase NBA 2K25, he shared that he grew up playing franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, and SOCOM. At 38, he is nearly 20 years younger than the average House member, most of whom were born before Pong hit the scene. Torres described his bill not as a radical overhaul of video game ownership but as a “restoration to the historical norm” of buying and playing games that existed through the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s. He also framed it as an “affordability issue” amid rising prices across the economy.
Notably, the Power To The Players Act does not address other forms of digital media like movies and music, despite incidents earlier this year where titles like Terminator 2 were removed from digital libraries. Torres suggested this focus stems from the unique relationship people have with gaming, including ownership, collecting, and time investment. He believes that if successful, the bill could serve as a model for establishing rights in other areas of digital media. “I hope we can set a precedent that will be followed elsewhere in the digital economy,” he stated.
