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Rep. Ritchie Torres plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, a bill directing the FTC to make rules protecting consumers’ rights to digital games and requiring playable offline modes after online servers shut down. The bill has not yet been formally introduced, and its cosponsors and prospects in Congress are unknown.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, says he plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act, legislation that would direct the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers’ rights to video games they buy. The proposal would also require games with online features to retain working offline modes after publishers shut down their servers, addressing concerns that purchased games can lose major features or become unplayable.
Under the plan described by Torres to Kotaku, companies selling digital games would have to provide more than a license that may expire. The legislation would instruct the FTC to create regulations governing game ownership. The proposal’s stated aim is to let consumers keep playing games after a publisher ends online support; the source report does not provide draft bill text or technical details about how the requirements would work.
The announcement comes as NBA 2K25 faces a scheduled loss of access and features. According to the report, 2K Games confirmed the game will be delisted on October 30, with online servers scheduled to go offline on January 1, 2027. Those dates and the effects described concern that game specifically; they are not requirements imposed by Torres’ proposal, which has not yet been introduced.
Torres said the bill would cover video games, not other digital media such as movies and music. He told Kotaku he grew up playing franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil and SOCOM, but said he did not buy NBA 2K25. The announcement does not establish that the proposal has support from other members of Congress or from the FTC.
What the Proposal Could Change
If enacted, the measure could change what consumers receive when they buy a digital game: not simply temporary access under a revocable license, but rights backed by federal rules. A requirement for offline play could also limit the extent to which a publisher’s decision to close servers removes a game’s core modes. The practical effect would depend on the bill’s final language and the regulations the FTC might write.
The issue matters as players increasingly buy games digitally and may have fewer ways to retain access independent of a publisher’s storefront or servers. A purchase can involve a substantial cost and hours of progress, yet online-dependent features may rely on company infrastructure that is eventually retired. Torres has framed the proposal as both a consumer-protection and affordability measure; those are his arguments for the bill, not established outcomes.
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From Server Closures to Congress
The proposal follows wider public campaigning over what happens to games when companies stop supporting them. The Stop Killing Games advocacy movement has called for publishers not to sell games that can become wholly unplayable when online services end. That campaign and concerns about digital-only access form part of the backdrop to Torres’ announcement.
The immediate example in the report is NBA 2K25, described as the fifth best-selling game in the United States in 2024. Its scheduled delisting and server shutdown illustrate separate consequences: a delisting can prevent new purchases through certain storefronts, while closing servers can remove access to online features. The report says the latter would make the game’s most popular modes unavailable, but does not say every part of the game would stop working.
Torres characterized his approach as restoring an older expectation that people could keep playing games they purchased. The bill’s scope, however, is narrower than digital ownership generally: the announcement focuses on video games and does not propose protections for film or music purchases.
“I think there should be a simple rule: if you pay for it, you own it.”
— Rep. Ritchie Torres, speaking to Kotaku
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Bill Text and Support Remain Unknown
The proposal is not yet formally introduced, and the source report does not include a bill number or legislative text. Torres did not confirm whether there would be cosponsors or whether any Republicans would support it. It is also unclear how the FTC’s rules would define ownership, which games would be covered, or what would count as a functioning offline mode.
Any change would require the measure to advance through Congress and become law before the FTC could issue rules under it. The report notes that legislation often does not receive a full vote, but provides no estimate specific to this bill. Publishers’ responses and the eventual costs or technical effects of compliance are also not established.
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Formal Introduction Is the Next Step
Torres’ next stated step is to formally introduce the bill in Congress. Once introduced, it would proceed through the legislative process, including committee consideration; its path and timing are not yet known. The presence of cosponsors, committee action and any revisions to the proposal will help show whether the announcement develops into legislation with broader support.
For players, the scheduled NBA 2K25 service dates remain a separate, near-term development: the game is due to leave digital storefronts on October 30, and online servers are scheduled to close on January 1, 2027, according to the report. The proposed act would not itself change those dates unless it became law and its eventual provisions applied. No enforcement timeline or specific remedy has been announced.
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Key Questions
What is the Power To The Players Act?
It is legislation Rep. Ritchie Torres plans to introduce. As described in the announcement, it would direct the FTC to create rules protecting video game ownership and require games with online features to retain offline modes after servers close.
Has the bill been introduced or passed?
No. Torres has announced plans to introduce it, but the source report says formal introduction is still pending. No vote or enactment has been reported.
Would the proposal protect movies and music too?
Not as currently described. The proposal focuses on video games. Torres said he hopes it could set a precedent for other parts of the digital economy, but that is not the same as extending this bill to other media.
What is happening to NBA 2K25?
The report says 2K Games confirmed NBA 2K25 will be delisted from digital storefronts on October 30 and its online servers will go offline on January 1, 2027. The report says the shutdown would make its most popular modes unavailable; it does not say the entire game will become unplayable.
Who would write the rules if the bill became law?
The proposal would direct the Federal Trade Commission to create regulations. The specific standards, enforcement process and scope are not yet clear because bill text has not been provided.
Source: fediverse
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