{
  "id": 14823078,
  "title": "Rep. Ritchie Torres Introduces Legislation to Ensure Gamers Own Their Digital Games",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/rep-ritchie-torres-introduces-legislation-to-ensure-gamers-own-their",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-15T23:21:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/rep-ritchie-torress-introduces-legislation-to-ensure-gamers-own-their-digital-games"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres has introduced a new bill, titled The Power to the Players Act, with the aim of ensuring gamers actually own their digital games. The legislation seeks to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish regulations that would protect players and their digital collections. According to Torres, when consumers purchase a digital game, they should truly own it, rather than merely obtaining a license that can be revoked. The bill also calls for online games to have offline functionality, guaranteeing that when servers are shut down, players can still access and play the content they own.\n\nExpressing his concerns, Torres stated, \"Consumers must have the right to own, the right to play, and the right to transfer the games they buy. A game that can be taken away the moment a company pulls the plug is not a purchase. It is a rental disguised as a sale.\" Many families in the Bronx and across the country have saved up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that may vanish at any time.\n\nTorres used the example of NBA 2K25, a game that recently announced it would be rendering single-player modes inaccessible due to servers shutting down. The news sparked widespread confusion as many were taken aback by the fact that a game only two years old was becoming obsolete so soon. Torres' bill is aimed at addressing ongoing controversies within the industry. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that PlayStation plans to discontinue physical games starting in 2028, which would mean players would no longer be able to truly own their games from the next generation. Additionally, GTA 6 is skipping a physical release for its November release, meaning there will be no used copies of the game post-launch.\n\nThis issue has been a long-standing battle for gamers, with the Stop Killing Games movement striving to make games more accessible to their current owners, even after server shutdowns. Torres' bill seeks to ensure these improvements for U.S. consumers. However, the success of this bill in becoming law remains uncertain, yet it represents a commendable effort to bring about positive change within the gaming industry.",
  "summary": "Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres is introducing legislation that aims to ensure you own your digital games, rather than having a license.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}