California moves to outlaw dead games, keeping them playable.
Finally, the era of paying $70 for temporary digital licenses might actually face some legal friction. Activists are proving that giant game publishers cannot just vaporize purchased games from hard drives whenever they feel like cutting server costs.
The lower chamber of the California Legislature approved the "Protect Our Games Act", also known as AB 1921. Introduced by Assembly member Chris Ward, the bill now heads to the state Senate for final approval.
This legislative push is the direct result of the global Stop Killing Games movement, spearheaded by consumer advocate Ross Scott. The campaign kicked off in 2024 when Ubisoft unilaterally pulled the plug on The Crew, effectively turning a purchased product into an unplayable digital brick.
Under the new rules, game publishers must **provide a clear advance warning before shutting down online games** and ensure they remain playable afterward. This means developers will have to build offline modes or release tools that allow players to host their own community servers.
The law targets digital purchases made starting January 1, 2027, but features a massive loophole: **free-to-play titles and games tied to active subscriptions are completely exempt** from these requirements.
Sensing the regulatory hammer falling, Ubisoft recently retrofitted The Crew 2 with an offline patch to prevent another wave of public outrage and potential legal liabilities.
While corporate lawyers scramble to find loopholes or rebrand everything as a "subscription service" to bypass the law, this is a massive victory for digital ownership. The days of corporations selling temporary permission slips disguised as permanent games are officially numbered.
Source: California Legislature
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