Digital Game Ownership Act: Player Rights Bill [Confirmed]

Federal lawmakers have introduced the Power To The Players Act to legally mandate that video game publishers grant consumers genuine digital ownership and transfer rights, preventing companies from revoking purchased software licenses whenever online servers shut down. According to verified reports from Kotaku published on October 16, 2026, the legislative proposal seeks to outlaw deceptive "buy" buttons for digital products that function merely as revocable licenses. Spearheaded by Representative Ritchie Torres, the bill directly challenges standard operating procedures across platforms like Steam, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live, demanding that players retain access to bought titles long after publishers halt official support. As modern hardware trends advance—such as the recent [Steam Machine 2026 Living Room PC Test [Confirmed]](/news/steam-machine-console-review-2026)—digital libraries have become central to millions of households. Under the proposed statute, distributors must either guarantee offline functionality, facilitate open peer-to-peer multiplayer fallback hosting, or permit consumers to transfer or resell digital titles legally. Kotaku's investigation highlights widespread community frustration following high-profile server shutdowns that wiped paid game libraries out of existence. If enacted, storefronts will face steep civil penalties for stripping access without providing functional offline alternatives or resale mechanisms.