A bill that would require game publishers to provide access to online games after it no longer has sustained support is on its way to a floor vote in the California State Assembly, the first step on its way to becoming law. Ars Technica reports. The bill, introduced as the “Protect Our Games Act,” is particularly noteworthy because Stop Killing Games, a game conservation group pushing for similar protections in the EU and the UK, advised its creation.
If enacted in its current version, the Protect Our Games Act would require game publishers or “digital game operators” to warn players at least 60 days in advance when “services necessary for normal use of a digital game will end,” and provide a refund for the full purchase price of the game, the piece of software that makes the game playable or the version controlled by the “operating game operator.” The Act would not apply to free games or games accessible only by subscription. And it will only apply to articles issued on or after 1 January 2027.
Engadget contacted the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), an industry group that represents game publishers, for comment on the proposed rule. We will update this article when we hear back.
The bill addresses the main problem of modern game ownership: no one really owns their games, and they don’t own them especially if they rely on server support from the publisher. Live service games may be sold as a one-time purchase, but require an internet connection and server infrastructure to function as designed. If a developer or publisher wants to stop maintaining that infrastructure, the game is dead, and in the case of Ubisoft’s open world racing game. Employeesit was delisted from stores and removed from players’ game libraries. In response to the removal of Employees it was part of the reason Stop Killing Games was created in the first place.
Assemblyman Chris Ward introduced the Protect Our Games Act in the California Assembly in February 2026. The bill has now made it through the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Appropriations Committee as of May 14, meaning the Assembly can take it up for a full vote. Stop Killing Games shared that they were advising on the bill in a Reddit post in March, and the group seems happy with its progress. “Back just before Christmas, when I flew to the US to help set up SKG-US, I didn’t expect us to arrive so quickly,” said Moritz Katzner, Stop Killing Games’ Director General of European Affairs, in a separate post.
There is still a long way to go through the California State Assembly and State Senate before the bill can be signed into law, but progress is promising. Interestingly, at least one game publisher has tried to improve its handling of online games from scratch Employees debacle. Ubisoft added an offline mode Group 2 by October 2025 that means the game should remain accessible even after support for its online features ends.
