US Rep proposes bill to give video game buyers "ownership," not "a license"

The Power to Players Act is a rare piece of legislation that names the exact problem it intends to solve. Representative Ritchie Torres has proposed a bill that would force the Federal Trade Commission to treat a video game purchase as a transfer of ownership, not a revocable license. The trigger for this is not abstract theory but a concrete case: NBA 2K25, a game that launched in September 2025 and is scheduled to become unplayable by December 31 of the same year due to server shutdowns.

This is a direct challenge to the digital marketplace's foundational logic. For over a decade, the industry has quietly shifted from selling goods to renting access, with end-user license agreements serving as the legal scaffolding. The bill's language cuts through that by asserting that when a consumer pays for a game, they own it. That means the publisher cannot simply switch off the servers and render the product inert, at least not without consequences.

The bill's reliance on the FTC is strategic. Rather than creating a new regulatory body or rewriting copyright law, it tasks an existing agency with enforcement. This is a pragmatic move, but it also signals the limits of the proposal. The FTC can police unfair or deceptive practices, but it cannot compel a company to maintain servers indefinitely. The bill would likely require publishers to either keep games playable or provide a functional offline version, a technical hurdle that many modern titles are not designed to clear.

There is also the question of precedent. If this bill passes, it could ripple beyond gaming. The same logic applies to software, streaming media, and any digital product sold under a license. The industry will argue that ownership is incompatible with the costs of ongoing online services, but the counterargument is simpler: if a product is sold as a game, it should remain a game, not a timed rental.

The bill faces significant legislative headwinds, and even if it becomes law, the technical implementation will be messy. But the fact that it exists at all is a signal. The era of silent license revocations may be drawing to a close, and the industry would be wise to prepare for a future where digital ownership is not just a marketing phrase but a legal reality.