California wants to stop publishers from killing online games, and it just made some progress

Modern gaming has somehow normalized the idea that publishers can permanently shut down games people already paid for. Thankfully, California is now trying to push back against that with its proposed “Protect Our Games Act,” which has officially cleared another key legislative hurdle with strong backing from the Stop Killing Games movement.

California’s new bill could force publishers to preserve online games

If passed in its current form, the legislation would require publishers to either keep games playable after official support ends, provide an offline patch, release a standalone playable version, or issue refunds to players. The bill would reportedly apply to paid games released after January 1, 2027, while free-to-play and subscription-only titles would remain exempt.

The movement gained major traction after Ubisoft shut down The Crew in 2024, effectively making the game inaccessible even for players who had already purchased it. That incident became a rallying point for preservation advocates, arguing that modern online games are increasingly being treated like temporary rentals rather than products consumers actually own.

“The bill is based on a false premise: that consumers ‘own’ digital games with permanent access. That is not how software works-games are licensed, not sold as unrestricted property.” – ESA

Publishers and industry groups are obviously not thrilled, with the ESA arguing that indefinite support requirements could become technically and financially unrealistic for developers. Interestingly, preservation groups previously accused the ESA of lobbying against expanded DMCA exemptions for preserving older video games back in 2024.

Honestly, gamers are finally questioning what “buying” a game even means now

The bigger reason this bill matters is that it taps directly into growing frustration around digital ownership. Over the last few years, gamers have slowly realized that many “purchased” online games can effectively vanish overnight if servers disappear. Ironically, California itself already pushed the industry toward more transparency last year by forcing digital storefronts to clarify that users are often buying licenses instead of permanent ownership. Steam even added warnings explaining this directly before purchases.

At this point, the entire debate feels bigger than just preserving old multiplayer games. It’s becoming a fight over whether players actually own anything in the digital era, or whether publishers can simply decide when products stop existing. And honestly, judging by how aggressively communities have rallied behind Stop Killing Games, a lot of players seem very tired of feeling like long-term rentals disguised as customers.