U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres announced plans to introduce the Power To The Players Act to force digital game purchases into ownership rather than revocable licenses. The proposed federal legislation targets storefront terms that strand players when servers close, using the upcoming shutdown of NBA 2K25 as a primary example.
Digital game buyers routinely discover that clicking a purchase button secures little more than a temporary revocable license rather than tangible property. That fundamental mismatch between consumer expectations and corporate terms of service prompted Representative Ritchie Torres of New York’s 15th Congressional District to announce the Power To The Players Act on October 15, 2026. Rather than leaving players at the mercy of arbitrary server closures, the proposed federal bill aims to establish a clear legal boundary across digital storefronts. Representative Ritchie Torres noted that families in the Bronx and across the country save up to buy these games, and they deserve better than a license that can vanish at any time.
Torres grew up gaming with franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, and SOCOM, and he described the legislation not as a radical transformation, but as a restoration to the historical norm
of buying and playing games that existed throughout the eighties, nineties, and two-thousands. He also framed the problem as an affordability issue
as prices continue to climb across the economy.
NBA 2K25 and the Timeline of Digital Obsolescence
To illustrate why federal intervention is necessary, the legislative announcement pointed directly to NBA 2K25. Despite ranking as the fifth best-selling game in the United States during 2024, the basketball simulator faces an aggressive corporate sunset timeline just over two years after its release.
The game is scheduled for removal from digital storefronts on October 30, 2026. Its online servers will shut down on December 31, 2026, rendering major portions of a game that retailed for $69.99 for the standard edition and $99.99 for the All-Star Edition inaccessible.
“When you pay for a game, you should own it,” said Rep. Torres. “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.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres, U.S. Representative
Mandating Offline Modes and Resale Rights Through the Federal Trade Commission
The Power To The Players Act directs the Federal Trade Commission to establish regulations that alter how digital sales operate. Under the proposed statute, buying a digital game transitions from a license to ownership. Crucially, the bill requires publishers of online-dependent software to provide an offline mode before shutting down their supporting infrastructure.
Beyond server preservation, the framework addresses the right to transfer games. Torres framed the initiative as an economic fairness issue, noting that families save earnings to purchase entertainment that vanishes without warning.
Parallel Fights Across Borders and the Path Ahead in Congress
The federal push arrives as similar consumer battles play out internationally. In Europe, the Stop Destroying Videogames initiative gathered 1,294,188 verified signatures across 24 member states, with the count finalized on January 26, 2026. State-level efforts in the U.S., such as Pennsylvania’s proposed Protect Our Games Act introduced by State Senator John Kane, have similarly sought offline functionality, community servers, or a minimum 25 percent refund when titles are sunset.
Reaching federal law remains a steep climb. The legislation has no bill number, lacks confirmed cosponsors, and faces an arduous committee process where an estimated 87 percent of proposed bills never reach a full vote.