US Congress goes to war on hidden gaming rents

According to ICT News; Richie Torres, a New York State Democratic representative in the US House of Representatives, introduced a bill called the Power To The Players Act on October 15, 2026 (23 October 1405) to protect the rights of gamers. The aim of this project is to end the model of selling games in the form of hidden rentals. […] The article of the US Congress goes to war on the hidden rents of games appeared first in ICT News Information technology news reference

The Power To The Players Act mandates the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop regulations to protect the rights of digital game purchasers. The main goal is to end the current model where the purchase of a digital game is actually a revocable license, not actual ownership.

The bill provides three key rights for consumers: the right to own purchased games in lieu of a license, the right to play even after the servers are shut down via offline mode, and the right to transfer or resell purchased games.

According to the bill, publishers of online-capable games would be required to provide an offline mode before shutting down servers so that players can access the game after official support ends. This requirement ensures access to single-player portions of games even after online support ceases.

"When you pay for a game, you have to own it," Torres said in a statement. Consumers must have the right to own, play and transfer the works they have purchased. A game that is lost as soon as the company pulls the plug is not a purchase; Rent is disguised as a sale. Families in the Bronx and across the country are saving up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that could disappear at any moment.

This bill was formed in response to widespread protests against the closing of The Crew game servers by Ubisoft in 2024. After the servers were shut down, players didn't even have access to the single player parts of the game. Torres also mentioned that NBA 2K25 is scheduled to be removed from digital stores on October 30, 2026, and its servers will be shut down on December 31.

Some online games are architected in such a way that providing an offline mode for them is not technically possible or requires a major redesign. This issue can provoke resistance from publishers.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and major publishers have previously opposed similar bills. ESA argues that the requirement to maintain legacy systems diverts development teams' limited resources from building new games and technologies.

Legislative history in California

Earlier, California's Protect Our Games Act passed the state House by a vote of 43-16, but failed in the Senate committee by a vote of 4-3. Supporters of the bill have said they will return with more funding and lobbying next term, and are looking to introduce similar versions in other states and at the federal level.

As of press time, the full text of the bill has not been released and only the press release from Torres' office is available. This issue makes it difficult to evaluate its effectiveness and feasibility. Also, the Torres bill still has a long way to pass in Congress, and most of the proposed bills do not even reach the voting stage.

The European Commission has previously rejected a call for mandatory legislation to maintain playability after support ends, and has instead drafted a voluntary industry code of conduct.

The Power To The Players Act can be described as a milestone in the fight against the "temporary ownership" model of digital games. For years, game publishers have treated digital purchases as a revocable license and in their terms of service reserve the right to terminate users' access at any time. This approach, although legally legal in many countries, is inconsistent with the general consumer understanding of the concept of "purchase".

The smart thing about this bill is to focus on the right of transfer and resale. This right, which existed in the physical market of games, has gradually disappeared in the digital world. If passed, the bill could revive the second-hand market for digital games and give consumers more bargaining power.

However, the implementation challenges of this bill are significant. Requiring offline mode for all online games is technically and economically difficult for publishers. Also, the strong opposition of the gaming industry and its powerful lobbying will reduce the chances of passing this bill. But even if this bill is not approved, it can increase the pressure of public opinion on publishers and lead them to offer voluntary solutions.

Ultimately, this bill represents an important shift in how lawmakers view consumers' digital rights. If this trend continues, we may see similar laws in other countries.