Proposed Pennsylvania law targets publishers that kill digital games
The Protect Our Games Act would ensure that even if video game manufacturers take a title offline, those who've previously bought it would not lose access. While it still does not give gamers ownership of the titles they buy, it would at least let them continue playing them even if the developer goes bust.
Pennsylvania state senator Sen. John Kane has proposed a bill, the Protect Our Games Act, to address concerns over digital-only games becoming inaccessible once their servers go offline. As Sony plans to stop producing physical discs by 2028, this legislation aims to ensure gamers can still access their games, even after the game companies stop providing support.
Under the proposed legislation, video game manufacturers would need to provide gamers with a 60-day notice before ending access to a title. Moreover, these companies would have to offer one of three options to affected gamers: allow for offline gaming, patch the title to function online independently from the game's servers, or refund the game's cost at 25% of its initial sale price, which should not be lower than the highest price paid for the game in the past year.
While this bill is still in its early stages, it could potentially set a precedent for other states and protect gamers from losing access to their games due to companies ending support. The Stop Killing Games movement, which supports this bill, has gained traction in the EU and California, although neither has resulted in a law yet. California's version of the bill has already passed a State Assembly vote, but it still has a long way to go before becoming law.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
