Recap: A California bill that would require game publishers to keep titles playable after server shutdowns has become the American front of a broader consumer-rights movement. After gaining support in the European Parliament and throwing its weight behind the California bill, the pro-game-preservation group Stop Killing Games is now facing resistance from the game industry's most powerful lobbying group.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has come out against California bill AB 1921, a state bill that would compel developers to offer remedies before deactivating servers for online games. Stop Killing Games has been fighting this battle for the last couple of years and was quick to condemn the ESA's position.
Under AB 1921, developers would be required to notify paying customers at least 60 days before shutting down servers, stop selling affected titles during that window, and provide either refunds or a path to continued play – whether through offline modes, private dedicated servers, or similar alternatives.
Free-to-play and subscription-based games would be exempt. The bill applies only to one-time-purchase titles released after January 1, 2027.
The Industry is lobbying against Stop Killing Games! (again)
by u/Mr_Presidentle in StopKillingGames
In comments released publicly and to ABC10 news, the ESA argued that AB 1921 misunderstands how modern games are built, calling the technical demands for perpetual gameplay unworkable and warning the bill would result in fewer games and reduced innovation. The association also pointed to an existing California ruling establishing that buyers of digital games hold licenses, not ownership.
SKG pushed back along familiar lines – similar to its rebuttal of Video Games Europe last year – clarifying that the bill doesn't require publishers to run official servers indefinitely, only that games remain in some functional state once service ends.
The ESA further argued that expiring licenses sometimes prevent publishers from selling older titles, but SKG countered that future sales restrictions shouldn't affect customers who already bought the game. Forza Horizon 4 illustrates the distinction: when expiring vehicle licenses forced Microsoft to delist it in 2024, existing owners retained full access to download and play it.
The push for AB 1921 comes on the heels of SKG's appearance before the European Parliament last month, where the campaign – backed by more than one million verified signatures across Europe – made the case for similar legislation. The EU is now weighing its own version of the rules.
SKG was founded in 2024 by YouTuber Ross Scott, prompted by Ubisoft's decision to shut down servers for The Crew, making the game unplayable for more than 12 million people who purchased physical and digital copies. Ubisoft at the time suggested customers should get used to "not owning games" and that "nothing is eternal," but now faces a lawsuit over the shutdown and has since committed to including offline modes in future titles.
