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Rep. Ritchie Torres announced plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, which would direct the Federal Trade Commission to set rules protecting consumers’ ability to own and play purchased video games. The proposal would treat a game purchase as ownership rather than a revocable license and require an offline mode for online-enabled games before their supporting servers are shut down. The bill has been announced, but the source does not provide its text, introduction date or legislative status beyond that announcement.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat representing the 15th Congressional District, announced plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, a bill that would direct the Federal Trade Commission to create rules protecting consumers’ ability to own and play video games they buy. The proposal would address digital purchases sold as licenses and require games with online features to offer an offline mode before supporting servers shut down.
Torres’s announcement describes a proposal to treat a consumer’s purchase of a video game as ownership rather than a license to play. The bill would also seek to preserve consumers’ ability to transfer or resell games, according to the announcement. Its provisions would be implemented through regulations established by the Federal Trade Commission; the source does not include the bill text or details of how those rules would work.
The announcement points to NBA 2K25 as an example of the issue. It says the game, which listed at $69.99 for its standard edition and $99.99 for its All-Star Edition, is scheduled to leave digital storefronts on October 30, with its online servers to shut down on December 31, two years after its initial release. The source does not state the year for those dates, so they should not be read as a current schedule without further confirmation.
Under the proposal as described, games that rely on online functions would have to provide an offline mode before their supporting servers are discontinued. That could allow players to continue using at least some game features after a publisher ends online service. The announcement does not say what functionality an offline mode would need to retain, or whether the requirement would apply to games already on sale.
What Ownership Rules Could Change
The proposal targets a gap between paying for access and retaining a usable copy of a game. Digital purchases can depend on a publisher’s storefront, licensing terms or servers. If access is withdrawn or online infrastructure is shut down, players may lose some or all ability to use a title, even if they paid for it. The bill’s stated aim is to give consumers more lasting control over games they purchase.
For players, an offline-mode requirement could matter most for games whose core or additional features depend on a company-operated service. If adopted and implemented, the rule could require publishers to preserve a way to play when those servers are retired. Ownership and transfer protections could also affect how consumers share or resell games, though the announcement does not specify the legal or technical mechanics.
The proposal is not yet a change in consumer rights: Torres has announced an intention to introduce legislation, and the source does not indicate that Congress has passed it or that the FTC has issued regulations. Its practical impact would depend on the bill’s final text, its progress through Congress and any rules that follow.
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Digital Sales and Server Shutdowns
Torres’s announcement links the proposal to the video game industry’s shift toward digital-only games and consoles, which can limit the role of physical copies. It argues that digital games are often sold under terms that provide a revocable license rather than permanent ownership. That characterization is the lawmaker’s rationale for the bill; the source does not provide an independent legal analysis of the terms used by particular publishers or storefronts.
The NBA 2K25 example illustrates two separate points in the announcement: a game can be removed from a digital storefront, and its online servers can later be shut down. Delisting affects whether new customers can buy a digital copy through that storefront; a server closure may affect features for existing players. The proposed offline-mode requirement addresses the latter issue, while the ownership and transfer provisions are intended to address consumers’ control over purchases.
“When you pay for a game, you should own it.”
— Rep. Ritchie Torres
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Bill Text and Scope Remain Unknown
The announcement does not provide the bill’s full text, a scheduled introduction date, co-sponsors or details of its route through Congress. It is therefore unclear how the measure would define ownership, which types of games and sales it would cover, or how it would treat games that require online access to function.
The source also does not explain what would count as an adequate offline mode, how long publishers would have to prepare for a server shutdown, or how the FTC would enforce the rules. It gives no specific year for the NBA 2K25 delisting and server-shutdown dates. Those dates, and the example’s current status, require confirmation before being treated as current.
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Awaiting Bill Introduction and Details
The next concrete milestone is Torres’s formal introduction of the bill. Once the text is available, its definitions, coverage, enforcement provisions and treatment of existing games can be assessed. The announcement does not give a timetable for introduction or identify a committee referral.
Any consumer protections would require further legislative action before taking effect. If the bill advances, Congress would consider its provisions; if enacted as described, the FTC would then be directed to develop regulations. No passage, agency rulemaking or implementation date is confirmed by the source.
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Key Questions
What is the Power To The Players Act?
It is legislation that Rep. Ritchie Torres says he will introduce. As described in his announcement, it would direct the FTC to establish rules protecting consumers’ ability to own and play purchased video games.
Would the proposal require games to remain online forever?
No such requirement is described. The announcement says games with online functionality would need to provide an offline mode before their supporting servers shut down. It does not specify what that mode would include.
Has the bill become law?
The source describes an announcement of plans to introduce the bill. It does not report that Congress has passed it or that it has become law.
Why does the announcement cite NBA 2K25?
Torres’s office cites its planned digital-storefront delisting and online-server shutdown as an example of how availability and playability can change after a game is sold. The announcement gives October 30 and December 31 as dates but does not specify their year.
Source: hn
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