A new effort to preserve access to purchased video games after their official support ends has cleared its first major hurdle in the United States.
The Protect Our Games Act was approved by the California Assembly with a 43-16 vote and will now advance to the California State Senate for further consideration.
Backed by the Stop Killing Games movement, the proposal aims to prevent publishers from rendering paid games completely inaccessible once their servers are shut down.
If ultimately adopted, the legislation would require companies to notify players in advance before discontinuing server-dependent titles and provide a way for customers to continue using games they have purchased. Possible solutions include offline functionality, community-run servers, or other viable alternatives.
In practice, the measure would ensure that paid games remain playable in some form even after official support ends. Publishers may eventually need to implement offline options or alternative multiplayer solutions, although the exact requirements have not yet been finalized.
The proposal does come with limitations. It would only apply to paid games released after January 2027, meaning older titles would not be covered by the law.
Meanwhile, the Stop Killing Games campaign continues to gain momentum internationally. In the United Kingdom, a related petition has already attracted nearly 190,000 signatures, comfortably surpassing its original target of 100,000 supporters.
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